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The sound of W is represented in two main ways. The
outline uses whichever method produces the easiest outline to write
and read, and in some cases to indicate the presence of a
preceding vowel:
-
Stroke Way
-
Small semicircle:
(a) Initially, right semicircle, attached before simple Kay Gay, Em Imp/Imb Ar Ard
Rer Ray
(b) Medially, left or right semicircle, unattached and written to replace the sign
of the vowel that
immediately follows it.
-
Also part of strokes Hway
Wel Hwel Kway Gway
-
Also part of Circle
Sway, dealt with on page
Theory 4 Circles/Sway
-
Although the W
sound is a long vowel, it does the job of a consonant
when it begins a syllable.
Stroke Way
Initial semicircle
Medial semicircle
Strokes Hway Wel Hwel
Strokes Kway Gway
Initial Vowel
Derivatives
Phrases & compound words
Distinguishing
outlines for place names
Short form why
When not to use a W form
Stroke Way
This is the form most commonly used. As stroke Way has an initial hook as
part of its basic form, it can take no other initial hooks or
initial loops:
way we* wee weep
wiper web wobble weighbridge
*Short form
wide wed wooden wattle waddle watch wedge
withy woozy wash Winnie wing wife waft
wafter waffle weave woven wave waved wavy
waver/waiver weevil ways/weighs waste/waist western
Wooster/Worcester* Worcestershire*
*Worcester, worsted (woollen cloth) and the endings
-ward, -wart, -wort are the only outlines that do not show the
longhand R (see
Theory 10
Halving/ward).
In the first two, the letter R is not sounded at all, the vowel is
the same as that in "wool".
worsted
= woollen cloth (named after the district of Worstead in Norfolk, UK)
worsted = past tense of verb "to worst" to defeat/get the
better of, i.e. "give someone the worst of it"
wine won/one ones/once went/wend
wind winner winter winder
wit witty water bewail beware between
otherwise unwise highway railway halfway subway
twice twist twister twisted twin twine Twi
Taiwan twit tweet tweeted twitter twittered tweed
twirl twitch twill twilight twang twinge dwell
dwarf dwarfed Dwight Duane/Dwayne thwack thwaite Hawaii
Stroke Way can take an initial circle as part of a
compound word or in those
cases where Circle Sway cannot be used (see page
Theory 4 Circles/Sway):
crosswise causeway
waxwing sway persuade dissuade
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Initial semicircle
Sometimes called "abbreviated W". Before simple
Kay Gay Em Imp/Imb Ar Ard Rer Ray, the W is represented by a small
attached semicircle:
-
Used because it joins
better than stroke Way, and is quicker to write.
-
It is a right
semicircle = clockwise.
-
Changes its angle slightly when attached to Em
Imp/Imb Ray i.e. the first part of the semicircle is always parallel
to the beginning part of the stroke.
-
Not used if the
word begins with a vowel.
-
Never omitted
unless it is replaced by the medial semicircle in a compound word or phrase.
The order of reading is
like a Circle S: read the W first, then the vowel, then the stroke:
oak woke soak, oxen waxen Saxon
General Examples:
walk walking wok week/weak weaken weakened
weekend
weakness weakly/weekly
wick wicket wicked Wickham Wycombe
wax waxy wag wagged waggon Wiggins
wagtail
wigwam* womb woman* women* womanly wimple
*Have to use stroke Way with Em
here **More on these two
below
Wimbledon
Wembley Weymouth Wemyss Woomera wombat
were wear wearer wears/wares war
warn wore worn
worse worst worsen work worm warm Warmington
ward/warred warder weird Wordsworth wire wired wart warty
wort
wiry wary weary worry worried worrier
warp warble
worship Warsaw world worldwide
worth warden warren warrant warranty
Note that when the semicircle is attached to Ar,
it looks as if it is on the second side of the stroke, but it is
still an initial attachment and is therefore spoken first. A vowel on that side counts as coming
after the Ar:
wear era arrow
Final "-ward" "-wort" "-wart" are often
represented by halved Way in compound words. As the R is thus
omitted, this part of the outline counts as a mini-contraction, and
is therefore not vocalised (see
Theory 10
Halving/ward for more examples):
moonwort thwart Hayward
upwards outward reward
Note:
thwarted Haywood rewarded
The initial semicircle is never omitted, but in
the middle of a phrase or compound word it may be replaced by the
medial semicircle which
itself can be omitted be omitted in fast writing (further on this in
Phrases & Compound Words
below):
work framework well
Harwell Note:
Harrell
The initial semicircle may be followed by a diphthong, but use stroke Way
if followed by a diphone or triphone, the point being that the
latter have separately sounded vowels, forming an extra syllable,
and having the full stroke Way helps to indicate this:
Wyman
but Wyoming weigher wooer
compare
wear/ware wore
Initial semicircle is only used with simple
strokes, so use stroke Way if the next stroke is hooked:
wicker* wiggle waggle
*see also note in Derivatives below
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Medial semicircle
When stroke Way in the middle of
an outline would be impractical, impossible, or the outline would
be too lengthy, a small unattached semicircle is used instead.
It
represents the W sound plus the following vowel sound, and
replaces that vowel sign – it is written in the same place against
the stroke as the vowel sign would occupy.
-
Never changes its angle.
-
Always thin,
regardless of whether it replaces a thin or thick vowel sign.
-
Never used initially or
finally in an outline.
-
May be omitted in fast writing in the same way as
vowel signs are, as long as the outline remains readable and not
ambiguous. If in doubt, it is safer to write it in.
W + dot vowel following = left semicircle
(anti-clockwise). This is the same direction as the
short forms "with" "when" which are both dot vowels.
W + dash vowel following = right semicircle
(clockwise). This is the same direction as the
short forms "what" "would" which are both dash vowels.
Mnemonic: you begin writing this one in the same direction as you
write a horizontal dash vowel i.e. left to right.
The medial semicircle is
occasionally called the "W diphthong" in some older books,
reflecting the fact that it is made up of only vowels, even
though sometimes it does the job of a consonant when it begins a syllable.
For the compound words, I have given the root word
in the "compare" line.
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Dot
Vowel |
Left semicircle |
|
THAT |
earwax
beeswax
sealing-wax compare wax |
|
PEN |
twenty twentieth twelve twelfth farewell Oswestry
subsequent*
frequent*
Buenos Aires, Cromwell Bothwell compare well west
*Further on these in the
Kway section |
|
IS |
twig twixt twiddle dwindle goodwill hoodwink
forthwith
wherewith
therewith
herewith
bewilder bewildered
earwig periwig bigwig Pickwick
Chadwick Hardwick
sandwich Ipswich Northwich well-wisher*
ill-wisher* *Care
needed with similar outlines
anguish*
languish* extinguisher*
distinguisher*
extinguish/ed**
distinguish/ed**
*Outlines omit the hard G sound **Contractions
compare: withy will wilder wink wick wig
witch wisher
Note: Norwich (pronounced "norrij") betwixt |
|
PA |
memoir reservoir boudoir
abattoir
mademoiselle chamois*
bulwark
*pronounced sham-wah =
mountain antelope; also pronounced (and sometimes written) "shammy"
= suede polishing cloth. |
|
MAY |
assuage
hardware
Venezuela |
|
WE |
seaweed
tweak
tweezers Tuileries Oswego compare weed |
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In compound words the semicircle stays with its own
word, which means that a first or second place vowel may end up
moving forward to the next stroke. This allows the outline to reflect the
words that the compound word is made from, making the outline more
legible:
memoir homework
i.e. me-mwar but
home-work not ho-mwork
Several of the TW outlines using the
medial semicircle need distinguishing from similar outlines and so
it would be safer to always insert the semicircle in those:
tweak tick, tweezers teasers, twenty tenth, twattle tattle
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Strokes Hway Wel Hwel
The longhand convention of writing the letters "Wh"
for the sound of HW should be ignored when forming shorthand
outlines. Shorthand instruction books describe the strokes Hway and
Hwel as representing "WH" and "WHL" which is referring to longhand
and not to the sounds. It is better to associate the strokes with
the sounds they represent, and treat the longhand spelling as a
separate matter entirely.
Even though many people do not pronounce the H, you should still
learn the
different forms because of their usefulness in providing distinguishing
outlines and because the longhand still needs to be spelled
correctly regardless of popular pronunciation. Outlines should be
consistent and not change to reflect people's differing pronunciation.
Stroke Hway This is
stroke Way with an enlarged hook to represent the sound of "HW".
It is a compound consonant = no vowel
may come between the H and W sounds. This is not an additional hook to
give an additional sound. It is therefore best to learn the stroke
as a whole without mentally taking it apart into its constituent
sounds.
whey whoa whip whippet whopper whoopee
white whit Whitsun
wheat whet whetted whetstone
whack Whig whiff whine whin whinny whinge
whim whimsical whimper where anywhere
nowhere elsewhere whereas wharf whirr
whirl whirled whirling whirlwind whirlpool
whorl whortleberry wherry wheedle whither whether*
*Short form
whizz whizzed/whist wheeze wheezed whisk
whisker whistle
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Strokes Wel Hwel These are basically
the upward Ell stroke with an initial hook. The hook, representing
the W or HW sound, is read first:
-
Small hook = W-L Large hook = HW-L
This is similar to stroke Way having its hook enlarged to
include the H sound.
-
There is
always a vowel between the W/HW and the L sounds – it would be
unpronounceable without a vowel. These two strokes are therefore not
compound consonants.
-
Never written downwards.
These two hooks add their sound to the Ell in the same way that Circle S adds its
consonant before a stroke i.e. the W or HW is spoken first, then the
vowel, then the L sound:
ail/ale wail whale sale, oldest wold sold
aisle/isle wile while silo, wilt silt,
alter Walter salter/psalter
Liam William solemn,
ledge Woolwich* silage
*pronounced "woolij"
General examples:
well unwell welfare Wellington will willing
unwilling willow Williamson
wolf Welsh wall sea-wall
wealth commonwealth welcome
welcoming* welcomed welcomer
*Using proximity to indicate "com"
(see Theory 18
Prefixes/Con-com page)
wail weal wool woollen Wollaston Wolsey
Wolseley Weller
wilt wilted Wiltshire welt
welter wild wilder
Walter welled/weld
wailed willed
wield unwieldy
wheel wheeled wheeling Wheeler spinning-wheel millwheel narwhal
whale whalebone whelp whelk whelm while whiling
whiled whilst
meanwhile worthwhile worthwhile* *Alternative contraction
Wel and Hwel cannot clash with a downward Ell plus
N hook or Shun hook because the latter are never written alone –
they follow a stroke and so the direction they were written in is
always clear:
Upwards: well while, lane lotion
Downwards: aniline
insulation
Note: swell
swelled swelling Circle Sway described in
full on page
Theory 4 Circles/Sway)
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Strokes Kway Gway
These strokes include the W sound and are best
learned as a whole stroke to represent the compound consonant.
A first place vowel goes outside the hook,
same as for normal size hooks:
equip quote quota equity aquatic quiet disquiet
quid liquid liquidate liquefy quash quotient
query quarry quartz quartet quarantine quandary
choir/quire acquire aquarium enquire require requisition
quarrel quarter quantity quantify queen quantum
quaff equation equate adequate equator quitter equatorial
quest question request requested bequest bequeath
antiquated inquisitive qualm equilibrium quibble quench quell
equestrian
eloquent loquacious soliloquy colloquial
ventriloquist delinquent delinquent* *Alternative contraction
squeak squawk* squat squatter* squander
*These two outlines are identical
if unvocalised - see
Theory 11
Doubling/Two Straight Strokes for further on this.
squeeze sequence consequently squabble squad squid squadron
squeegee squirt squash squeamish squalid squall sequel
square squared squired squirrel squirm
guano iguana iguanodon guava guacamole
linguist linguistic languid languorous
penguin* sanguine Gwen Gwent Gwyneth
*Dictionary gives "penguin" with stroke En rather than Ing,
possibly
assuming that pronunciation reflected the derivation pen+gwyn (Welsh: head white,
originally referring to the Great Auk), in contrast
to sang+uine (Latin: sanguineus=blood-like).
Gwendoline Guinevere Guam Maguire
Paraguay Uruguay Guatemala
Guadeloupe Guelph
queer*
compare
clear
choir/quire
*Distinguishing outline, as
this and "clear" are both adjectives
There are a few words that make better outlines by
using the medial semicircle for the KW sound, and with most of
them it is seldom necessary to write in the semicircle:
quality qualify qualification disqualify tranquil
frequent frequently frequency frequenter infrequent
subsequent
asquint* Asquith* misquotation misquote* mistake*
*Advisable to insert the semicircle
for unusual words, and in "misquote" so it does not look like "mistake"
Note:
quite*
equal* equalise equality (both using short form)
equality (not using)
*short forms
Do not use Kway or Gway if there is a vowel between
the K/G and the W sounds:
Gawain Cawood co-worker Exception:
lukewarm
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Initial vowel
If a vowel comes before the W or HW sounds, then strokes
Way or Hway must be used, as you cannot write a vowel to a hook:
If the word starts with a vowel, then stroke
Way must be used, because you cannot write a vowel to the
semicircle. Seeing stroke Way where you might expect to see the
initial semicircle lets you know that there may be a vowel before
it, thus improving legibility when vowels signs are
omitted:
omitted:
wake awake, woke awoke, wear aware
wool awol ward/warred* award*
worried
*Dictionary has "ward" = thick
dash and "award " = thin dash, so I have adhered to that here,
although the Anniversary Edition textbook (p88) has thick dash for
both, which accords with their identical pronunciation.
while awhile, wheel awheel
Derivatives
Derivatives (word+ending) and compound words (word+word)
endeavour to retain the original
form of the outline(s), although this is not always done if it would
result in an awkward outline. The aim is to keep related words
looking similar, and have distinctive outlines for words that may
have the same consonant structure but a different spread of vowels
or different derivation. This is not a top priority rule, but a
useful one that increases the legibility of unvocalised shorthand
and applies right across Pitman's Shorthand, not just the W forms:
way-lay way-laid but
woolly wailed
walk walker/Walker wag wagger
wick wig wigger* but
wicker Wicker
Wigger which have different derivations**
*verb "wig" means to scold
**(1) made of
flexible twig/willow (related to "weak") (2) surname "inhabitant of
Wick" (3) Variant of Wicker
Pondering word derivations and outline choices is
out of the question during dictation, but as long as your outline
reflects the sounds spoken, you will be able to transcribe
correctly.
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Phrases and compound words
Whichever form of W is used in the basic outline,
this may change to one of the other methods when the word becomes
part of a phrase or compound word. The main consideration is the
ease of the join, producing a speedy and reliable outline, but the resultant
outline must be easy to read back, even
when vowels and unattached signs are omitted. It is seldom necessary
to insert any of the unattached semicircles when writing phrases,
but they are shown in some of the examples, so that you know where the
signs belong.
Stroke Way replaced by medial semicircle.
water highwater weed
seaweed
Initial Semicircle replaced by stroke, or
medical semicircle:
worthy
unworthy praiseworthy trustworthy roadworthy
walk cakewalk cat-walk, wire
haywire
world, another world, week, last week, well, very well
Wel and Hwel may not join easily:
Full strokes:
cog-wheel fly-wheel
cartwheel
waterwheel erstwhile
Dot Hay plus medial semicircle: freewheel
horsewhip overwhelm
In a few instances the initial semicircle is
retained in a compound word or phrase:
sidewalk jaywalker needlewoman needlewomen, men and women
bondwoman horsewoman charwoman washerwoman compare
fisherman
man woman* men women,
similarly human*
humane
* These two count as distinguishing
outlines
salesman salesmen saleswoman
saleswomen
Note that "woman" "women" take their position from the
2nd vowel, so that their difference is maintained when the outlines
are not vocalised. They also need to have a semicircle at all times,
whether attached or unattached, because in phrases or compound words they
could be read as "man" "men". The phrase "men
and women" is common enough to remain unvocalised, but in other
phrases vowels may be necessary to show whether these words are
singular or plural.
The verb "will" in phrases is represented by a
plain upward Ell and the semicircle is not necessary – it is always
very clear what is meant and to insert it would defeat the purpose of the phrase,
which is to gain speed. When "will" is used as a noun,
it can take the semicircle, if felt necessary:
will, I will, he will, that you
will be, if he will have but
goodwill freewill
"Were" in phrases takes whatever form is easiest
to write. Again, the meaning is always clear because the word
groupings involved are so common, and medial semicircle or vowel signs
need not be written:
were, you were, they were
"Well" in phrases does take a medial semicircle,
but is easily omitted without losing clarity:
well, very well, so well
Rather than hesitate over semicircles during a
dictation, you should use full strokes or write the two halves of the
outline separately
and then find out the correct outline later. Even in longhand there is often a question over whether to write
something as two words, a hyphenated word or one word. Writing
a longer outline or two outlines is far preferable to hesitating and losing the next few words.
Making an awkward join, when separate outlines would be more readable and reliable,
is also a hindrance.
However, joining or not joining can indicate different uses of the same two
words and showing where the emphasis falls, and thus the correct
meaning:
I saw the cat-walk. I saw the cat walk.
This person is trustworthy.
We can trust Worthy to do the job.
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Distinguishing outlines for place names
Wells Wales*
Walworth Woolworth*
*the second of each pair breaking the rule
Always vocalise these two: Cornhill Cornwall
Names and
place names are best vocalised whenever possible, as context cannot
help.
Short Form Why
This sign is unlike any other.
Prior to the Centenary version of Pitman's Shorthand in 1913, this was the sign for the W (or HW)
plus the "eye" sound, as in "wife" "Wight" "white", and also the
short form "why" that we still use. It behaved like the W
semicircle – sometimes joined initially to certain strokes,
sometimes unattached medially. Note that "why" is a right angle (90°),
unlike the other three angular diphthongs (60°):
why I toy cow
When not to use the W
forms
SW at the beginning of a word uses the
Circle Sway, see Theory 4
Circles page.
Longhand often uses the letter W to indicate a
long vowel. In those cases it does not come under any of the above
headings, and the appropriate vowel sign is used:
awe awl awesome awful awkward dawn mow owl
power sewage Bewick/Buick Newark Rwanda Cwmbran
A redundant longhand letter is never represented
in Pitman's Shorthand:
wrought write/Wright/rite wry/rye awry wrass
wrestle wrist
wren wreath wrap/rap wreak/reek wretch/retch
wriggle wrong wrinkle
whole whoop
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