This site is dedicated to Duployan Shorthand adapted to English - 5th Edition, 1904, abbreviated to Brandt’s Duployan.
Carl Brandt, a Jesuit monk, also did adaptations of Duployan to Danish and to Latin.
By providing a translation into modern, electronic form of the original, handwritten manual, it is our hope to make Brandt’s Duployan available, and approachable, for modern persons.
What is Duployan shorthand?
Duployan shorthand is classified as a geometric, alphabetic shorthand, meaning that it is constructed of lines and circles, and it does not feature any shading (thickening of the line).
Duployan shorthand was created in 1860 by Émile Duployé for writing French, and it most likely the most adapted system of shorthand. There are adaptations for English, Latin, Danish, Romanian, Chinook Wawa, German and Spanish.
Duployan shorthand has a reputation for being extremely easy to learn, and that is probably why it has been so widely adopted. It was the preferred system of shorthand among missionaries, especially the Jesuits.
In the Preface, Brandt writes:
In adapting to English the Méthode Sténographie Duployé I have endeavoured to retain the admirable simplicity which characterizes both its principles and outlines.
In the first part a system is offered that will enable any one of average intelligence to write from three to four times as fast as in longhand. I have endeavoured to place within the reach of “the many” a system that, to use a popular phrase, supplies a long felt want, that is to say, a system written and learnt with ease, and, most important of all, capable of being read with ease.
This is the alphabet of Brandt’s Duployan, taken from the handwritten manual:
There are several unique qualities not shared by other adaptations and it is (along with Pernin) the most thorough adaptation (at least based upon what is in the text) that I have looked at.
Conclusion:
After some weeks of use, I think it is fair to say that Brandt’s system has supplanted Perrault’s as my preferred Duployan adaptation. The handling of the Short U vowel, the shortcuts for ER, OUR, OUS, the well thought out and composable affixes and the unique use of position for auxiliary and modal verbs make this a very worthy addition to the list of Duployan adaptations.
In adapting to English the Méthode Sténographie Duployé I have endeavoured to retain the admirable simplicity which characterizes both its principles and outlines.
Duployan Shorthand being in such a general use upon the Continent, an adaption of it to English, such, that every sound common to the two languages is represented by the same sign, will at once commend itself to those engaged in commercial correspondence. To a student, the Duployan system offers a unique advantage since it puts within his reach reading matter stenographically represented and therefore with true sound values, in at least ten languages, inter alia, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Turkish, etc.
The system has a large and varied literature and also several newspapers and journals. It has met with remarkable success as an educational factor in elementary schools, which is owing in part, to the fact that it is not burdensome to the memory, as it does not call into its service any of the multitude of bewildering devices such as thickening, lengthening, raising above the line, etc., to add new sounds, or disconnected vowels or worse still the discarding of vowels. In this system every sound is represented so clearly that the transcribing, and even fluent reading of it, is an easy matter.
In the first part a system is offered that will enable any one of average intelligence to write from three to four times as fast as in longhand. I have endeavoured to place within the reach of “the many” a system that, to use a popular phrase, supplies a long felt want, that is to say, a system written and learnt with ease, and, most important of all, capable of being read with ease.
In shorthand examinations the marks for transcription are on an average five times as many as are given for the shorthand. If then for the sake of legibility some little advantage in speed has been sacrificed this will be more than atoned for by the ease with which the pupil will read his notes.
In the second and third part there is explained, for those whose goal is the reporters table, a complete system of abbreviated shorthand.
Part II deals with all common prefixes and suffixes abbreviated forms of common words, together with a novel and simple method of representing the auxiliary verbs. Part III, in a few pages expounds our completed system.
I take this opportunity of expressing my thanks to the Rev. D.H. Thompson [Stonyhurst] for the help he has given me in framing this adaptation. If it meets with any success it will be owing to my collaborateur’s suggestions. November 4th, 1901. C. B.
The phonetic principle
The letters of the Alphabet serve to indicate not only the sounds of the language but also the etymological differences, the variations of pronunciation, and the exigencies of grammar. Consequently we find that certain letters under varying circumstances, assume the characteristic sounds of other letters. In stenography this cannot happen, for, to each and every sound we have given a sign, which unvaryingly represents that one sound only.
To write phonetically, then, all that is required of us is to catch the sounds uttered and represent them by the signs of the stenographic alphabet, paying no attention to the variations of orthography.
In the word high there are four letters but only two sounds, and these two sounds alone, viz, the aspirate and the diphthong, claim the stenographers attention. There are seven letter in the word through to express three sounds; phonography confines itself to the three sounds.
In ordinary writing the sound uh as in nut is represented by different letters in each of the following words: much, love, circle, pearl, sermon, pillar, courage, blood. Now in phonography one sign is used for this sound. Again, the pronunciation which we give to the letter i in the alphabet, i.e. the sound it has in fine, it altogether different in fin and first, Phonography recognizes here three distinct sounds and to each of them allots a sign.
The combination ch has a different rendering in each of the following words cheap, chaise, schism, scheme. Phonetically their values are ch-ee-p, sh-ai-z, s-i-s-m, s-k-ee-m.
We distinguish also the varying sounds of t in the following words: net, nation, feature, hasten.
These few examples are sufficient to illustrate what we mean by the phonetic principle. There is no need for us to discuss its utility.
We conclude these few fore-words by calling the pupil’s attention to an essential point in our phonetics. Stenographic signs represent sounds. Now, the names of the consonants of our ordinary alphabet are Bee, eF, Gee, eM, eL, ahRe, etc. in other words they have in the majority of cases a sound very different from that which they have in words – for example – church spelt out is: see-aitch-eu-ahre-see-aitch. Analyzing the sounds of the word we find that there are but four sounds. Take the first part of the word, viz, ch, pronounce it slowly, the sound given is that of the two consonants followed by a short sharp e or uh sound; similarly the final ch. It will be found that all other consonants are sounded after this manner. Take for example the s and p in sermon and person; they are not eS, Pee but suh, puh, or se, pe. The consonants in our phonetic alphabet are therefore sounded Be, Fe, Le, Me, Re, Te, etc. or Buh, Fuh, Luh, Muh, Ruh, Tuh, etc. This is of great importance and must always be borne in mind.
If therefore a syllable is formed by this obscure vowel sound added to a consonant, it will be indicated by the consonant sign alone. Thus we phonetically represent the following words much, love, pearl, cousin, in this way: M[uh]-CH, L[uh]-V, P[uh]-R-L, K[uh]-S-N.
If however the “uh” is accentuated it may then be indicated by its vowel sign. The vowel “uh” in the beginning of such words as earl, earnest, etc. must be shown.
Any want of clearness in the above explanation will be dispelled by noting the application of it in the following lessons to the numerous examples given.
The signs of this System are formed from the two simplest of geometrical figures, namely the Straight Line and the Circle.
The straight line both full length and half length takes the following directions indicated by the arrow:
A large and small circle are used, the latter being about half the size of the former:
These circles are now divided first by a line drawn through them Vertically thereby giving us these four signs: . Next by a line dividing them Horizontally and giving us the following signs: i.e. . And lastly, the circles are cut into quadrants: = =
The following supplementary signs, chiefly used as diacritical or distinguishing marks, are also made use of: a dot , a dash , and the acute , and grave accents.
The Consonants formed from the Straight line
B
P
drawn straight downwards
D
T
drawn from left to right
G
K
drawn obliquely from right to left
V
F
drawn obliquely from left to right
R
L
drawn upwards from left to right
Observe that the soft and longer sounds B, D, G, V are expressed by the longer lines whilst their corresponding hard and shorter sounds P, T, K, F are expressed by the shorter ones.
The consonant R has two distinct shades of sound, one hard or trill-sound as in broil, umbrella; the other is a soft and frequently barely audible sound as in door, fear, heart, this latter may be distinguished from the former by a dash written in the middle of the sign: .
The Consonants formed from the Semi-circles
S
Z
drawn from left to right
Sh
Zh
drawn from left to right
M
N & NG
drawn downwards
It will be noticed that the soft sounds Z and ZH as in zeal, as, vision, are distinguished from their corresponding hard sounds by a dot. The difference between the two nasals N and NG is also indicated by a dot.
The Consonants CH J TH hard TH soft
The true sound-value of the consonant CH is found in the words church, chariot, chess, etc.
The corresponding soft sound is J as in jerk, giant, jest, etc. CH is formed from two quadrants of a small circle written in the same direction as the sign for K viz .
J is written the same way but two quadrants of a large circle are used viz .
Since TH is a blending of the sounds of T and D, we write its equivalent phonetic character which is formed from two quadrants of a circle joined together, in the same direction as T and D viz i.e. .
The soft sound as in There is written full length .
The hard sound as in Thistle is written half length .
The Consonants Y and W
Y. A small semi-circle in this position , written downwards and having a dot above is Y.
W. The consonant sound W is represented by a quadrant of large circle traced upwards, on the right hand side of which a dot is placed viz
The joining together of consonants
In order to connect two consonants together we add the sign of the second to the termination of the first, writing the compound sign with one stroke without lifting the pen.
It is better to avoid forming an angle between two consonants, wherever is is optional, as for instance , it is more rapidly written thus .
Ex: vs, rsh, md, ps, dn, shp, mn, nm.
Note the following somewhat difficult connections: jm, nj, njm, js, gj.
Consonants
P
K
CH
T
TH
F
L
S
SH
M
Y
B
G
J
D
TH
V
R
R
Z
ZH
N
NG
W
Lesson 2 - Vowels 1
Lesson 2 - Vowels 1
The vowels AH AW OO UH (short)
AH
as sounded in gnat is represented by a small circle
AW
as sounded in cod is represented by a large circle
OO
as sounded in foot is represented by a radiated circle
UH
as sounded in nut is represented by a dot
The joining of vowels and consonants
In the beginning of words
Join the vowel in such a way that it is either to the left or below. The reason for this will appear later. We may tabulate this rule thus:
The vowel goes to the left for
The vowel goes below for Ex: ag, ar, ob, om, at, od, as, us, ath, oth, ang, ur, ut, up, ug, etc.
In the body of words
Trace the vowel outside the angle formed by two consonants, viz f-d with a vowel f-a-d.
Ex: back, dock, rob, top, took, foot, full, pull, that, sad, mask, cast, charge, god, good, block, clock, etc.
At the end of a word
Vowels may be written either above or below, to the right or to the left.
Ex: shadow, show, to, body, army, know, blue.
The vowels AH AW OO O (long)
AH
arm
AW
all
OO
food
O
code
UR
urn
AH AW OO
These are the long sounds of the short vowels AH AW OO. We write no new sign for these, we simply place over the short vowel sign a horizontal dash that is commonly used to denote a long sound.
N.B.The dashes may, in practice, be omitted as the context will usually supply their omission. Such signs are necessary, however, in cases where any uncertainty may arise.
The short vowel EH as sounded in net and let is represented by any one of the four small semicircles .
For the short vowel EE, as in knit, give, the same signs are used but with the addition of a small dot placed above them .
The method of joining these signs to others
It is important to clearly understand and faithfully follow this rule, viz. “In joining these signs to others you must avoid in so doing forming an angle. From a consonant to a vowel an angle must never be formed. Nor from a vowel to a consonant, when at the beginning of a word.”
In the body of a word there will be an angle sometimes, from a vowel to a consonant, but never from a consonant to a vowel.
The following examples will illustrate this rule.
When a word begins with a vowel
Begin with the little semi-circle and place the consonant-sign that follows, to the right or above, in accordance with the rule enunciated in Lesson 2, 2, a.
Of the for equivalent signs choose the one that can be used without forming an angle, e.g. in joining ‘e’ to ‘b’ if forms an angle, viz ; nor no. 2 , or no. 4 ; but with no. 3 there is no angle formed: .
From a consonant to a vowel
Choose the semi-circle that will not form an angle with the consonant-sign.
These are the long vowels corresponding to the short vowels EH and I. The outline figure is the same in both cases, but EH is distinguished from EY by the latter having a dot placed under it, e.g. EH, EY.
Also, EE is distinguished from long EE by the latter having the horizontal dash placed above it, e.g. EE, long EE.
The diphthong AI () as sounded in file and my is represented by the same sign-outline as that employed to express the vowels EH and I, but it is differentiated from these latter by the method of writing it to the other signs.
The rule laid down in Lesson 3-2 is here disregarded and exactly the opposite made use of, i.e. express the diphthong AI by making the semi-circle form an angle.
The diphthong OW () as sounded in fowl and cow is expressed by combining the two signs representing AH and OO thus .
The formation of this sign both at the beginning and end of words, offers no difficulty. When it comes between two consonants the simplest and quickest way of writing it, is to trace it in the same direction as the following sign.
This diphthong () is formed by combining the vowel-signs OH and EE, viz. or or .
Ex: boil, toil, joy, noise or , boy, point, coin, toy.
The diphthong JU
The phonetic U (), as sounded in use and view, is represented by a quadrant of a large circle: . Avoid an angular union wherever possible.
Ex: use, music, view, knew, obscure, pure, duke.
N.B. The consonant W likewise, represented by , is always written upwards.
Ex: wish, with, wig, wife, we.
Lesson 5 - Nasals
Lesson 5 - Nasals
The sounds AN ON EN IN UN are such as are found in pan, pond, pen, pin, and pun. They are combinations of the short vowels a, o, e, i, and u, with the nasal n.
If, however, such combinations produce long sounds such as mane, bone, green, soon, the above remarks do not apply.
The short nasal sounds an, on, en, in, un are of such frequent occurrence that both speed and legibility is gained by expressing them by a short, simple sign.
They are then always represented by anyone of the four quadrants of a small circle, viz. . The rule laid down in Lesson 3-2 about the method of joining vowels must also be observed here.
In order to distinguish the signs for these various nasal sounds we make use of an acute and grave accent, written either above or below the quadrant.
The following table will illustrate the method of writing them.
Vowel signs, diphthongs, and the short nasal sounds may be joined to a following consonant sign at the beginning of a word in one of two ways, viz. either by being written forwards or backwards (See Lesson 2-2 and 3-1).
They are written forwards for .
They are written backwards for .
Now, to show an aspiration at the beginning of words write the vowel in the opposite way, that is to say, if “at” is written thus , then by transposing the vowel in this way , the “H” aspirate (“hat”) is indicated. Therefore, trace upwards or forwards for a simple vowel, downwards or backwards for an aspirate.
Ex: at, hat, all, hall, it, hit, is, his, as, has, air, hair, and, hand, ale, hale, arrow, harrow, aft, haft, am, ham, altar, halter, ark, hark, arm, harm, earl, hurl or & , art, heart, eel, heel, eve, heave, edge, hedge, elm, helm, ire, hire, old, hold.
In the body of a word
When “H” aspirate is sounded in the body of a word, if it is a compound word as “overheard”, we may write separately the two words “over” & “heard” and indicate the aspirate in the latter word, in the manner described in no. 1. In order to show that the two signs represent one word they must be written close together.
Rule for non-compounded words and aspirated vowel-words
The position of the aspirate in words which are not compounded, e.g. behalf or enhance, or in aspirated vowel-words, e.g. how or who, is indicated by a short horizontal dash written below the vowel.
When the short nasal sounds are followed by “G” the pronunciation of the syllables will not be an + g, on + g, etc., but a + ng, o + ng, etc. Add therefore the short vowel sign to the consonant sign ng.
The sound “NK” is made up of ng + k : + and is stenographically expressed by adding the “K” sign to “ng”: .
Ex: bank, sank, brink, ink, wrinkle, link, wink, sink.
N.B. Although it is phonetically incorrect to express the sounds ank, ink, etc. by adding the “K” sign to the short nasal sign still it may be used as an abbreviated form of the sounds.
Ex: bank, sank, brink, ink, wrinkle, link, wink, sink.
Single vowels or nasal sounds
Words expressed by single vowel or nasal sounds are always represented by the sign appropriate to each in the synoptical vowel table.
Ex: I, eye, high, he, eh, an, on, in, hen, you, hew.
Note on Part II
Note on Part II
By means of the system explained in this elementary course, every word in the English language can be written without difficulty. Those, however, who have desired primarily a very rapid and brief method of writing, will find in the legibility of this system and the ease in acquiring it, a compensation for the want of elegance resulting from the long form of some of the stenographic word-signs. For those, however, who desire a more rapid system of writing we have drawn up in Part II a method of abbreviating which is at the same time easily acquired, written with facility, very legible and proved to give excellent results.
