P

n. A description of the laws of the human voice, or sounds uttered by the organs of speech. A representation of sounds by distinctive characters; commonly, a system of shorthand writing invented by Isaac Pitman, or a modification of his system, much used by reporters. The consonants are represented by straight lines and curves; the vowels by dots and short dashes; but by skilled phonographers, in rapid work, most vowel marks are omitted, and brief symbols for common words and combinations of words are extensively employed.