Pho*nog"ra*phy (?), n. [Phono- +
-graphy.] 1. A description of the laws of
the human voice, or sounds uttered by the organs of speech.
2. 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.
&fist; 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. The
following line is an example of phonography, in which all the sounds
are indicated: --
They also serve who only stand and wait.
Milton.
3. The art of constructing, or using, the
phonograph.