Cursive Versus Printing

[ac12]

 

 

Same article stated that the longer one goes to school, including advance degrees, the worse the penmanship gets. The author extrapolated that as one reason doctors and lawyers are notorious at handwriting, blaming the penmanship of too many years of note taking in school.

 

I can vouch for that.

I had decent handwriting before college, and LOUSEY handwriting after college.

In my case, the killer was speed. Trying to take notes FAST is what killed my handwriting. Since I did not know shorthand, I had to take notes in longhand FAST. I had to rewrite my notes in the evening, in order to be able to read them later.

Even today, when I push to write faster, my handwriting gets worse and worse.

[takkun]

Interesting thoughts, especially the bit about doctors/lawyers. I'm in architecture school, and I've noticed many of my instructors write (and very quickly) in the characteristic all-caps 'architectural lettering' style. One former professor here even has a typeface made out of his.

 

I write fairly quickly in printed lettering. I've noticed it's much more legible at speed if I write huge, so my notebooks and nibs are growing in size these days.

 

I'm also not one to decry the decline in the education system started by the change away from cursive (though I do have my beefs with the education system!)-- it's not like they're taking away pencils and giving out iPads, and handwriting will always be relevant. My concern is more in how it seems to be haphazardly taught, how adhering to a rigid script is enforced, and then not practiced after around age 10, at least in my experience. Many people I know (men, particularly) have cursive handwriting that looks meticulous like a child's, drawing letters rather than writing.

 

As far as practicality is concerned, printing seems more useful in note taking settings, but I'd have at least liked to learn have pretty handwriting, and not just functional handwriting.

 

Oh--and while iPads weren't around when I was in college, I've noticed in the undergraduate lectures I occasionally go to, most people either still take notes on paper, or if they are using a tablet, are writing with a stylus on a notetaking program. It's so much easier to organize ideas and drawings spatially when not constrained by a Word document.

[SockAddict]

I find all this either/or discussion very interesting, as I noticed as early as high school that most of the girls my age (still true as adults as far as my limited sample goes) use, mostly by accident, a mixture like Vivian describes. A random sentence out of my nearby notebook: "If I could just get my mojo back …" 'if' is two separate letters, 'cou' from could are joined, but l and d are separate, 'ju' are joined and 'st' are separate, 'get' and 'my' are joined, and 'moj' are joined, with the o separate. I never decided to write this way; it just evolved. It's still readable when sloppy, and when I'm writing neatly, it looks fairly nice. Certainly not beautiful, but it's definitely my own.

 

I find true cursive, like I learned in third grade, very difficult now. And I don't think I could manage to print without these little joins.

[rosalita]

I had terrible handwriting as a child (we're talking 1970s here) until the fourth grade. Every week I would finish my spelling workbook assignment and take it up to Mrs. Adair to be graded. She would write "100' at the top and also 'Messy!' in beautiful classic cursive handwriting. Because I was always the first one done, she made me go back and erase all the answers and re-write them more neatly. I credit her with the fact that my handwriting is quite legible now, though I've transitioned from full-on cursive to a print-cursive hybrid.

 

Like others have mentioned here, the faster I try to write the worse my handwriting gets. I nearly lost my good penmanship forever during the 18 years I spent as a journalist, scribbling quotes frantically in a notebook (digital recorders were virtually unknown at the time and I never got the hang of shorthand). Thank heavens I got out of that business (and not just for the sake of my handwriting).

[proton007]

The other day someone referred to my cursive as 'Latin'.

 

Now now. I'm not that old.

 

But I do know (and admire) people who were taught Latin in school.

Edited February 2, 2015 by proton007

[Ted F]

Last Friday (Feb. 13, 2015) the big news here in Arkansas was that the Arkansas House (which is now in session) passed a bill that would require all Arkansas schools to teach "cursive" writing. This would have to be done by the time the students finish 3rd grade. It passed 66 to 21 and there's only four other states that have that on the books.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Ted F

[domnortheast]

I don't live in Arkansas or even on the same continent but YAY!!

[VivienR]

It's really good to hear. Future generation will not regret this. Many research shows the benefits of learning the handwriting skills. I'm not against technology, I'm really a geek, but even so, I really enjoy when I sit down to writ with my fountain pens. Its kind of hitting the standby button in the remote, letting the all day spinning out, focusing only the pen, the nib, how the ink flows and my thoughts. Its really relaxing... till my cat arrive...

[Icywolfe]

I think it's also depends on what the person is more used to doing. As I never really learned cursive, besides the bare minimum of some letters. I'm far faster printing. Actually I use cursive + print mix when I able taking notes. It allows me to use the quickest method possible for some letters. Like the l letter you have to go up and down. I just go down. But I do try to print only for important papers or paper I give to other people. As print is like "universal."

[Ted F]

I just realized that until I joined this forum I never used the word "cursive," I always called it "script" (and still do). Also, I find that the use of either script or printing depends upon the purpose of what I'm writing. If I'm addressing and envelope, writing a note to the UPS man, or filling out a form I print. If I writing notes or a letter or writing a check I use script.

 

As a side note, my Father graduated from art school in the early 30s and went into the advertising business. He never used script except to sign his name. Everything else he printed. I never asked him why. My Mother, on the other hand, had that beautiful, smooth, neat school-book script.

[domnortheast]

I just realized that until I joined this forum I never used the word "cursive," I always called it "script" (and still do). Also, I find that the use of either script or printing depends upon the purpose of what I'm writing. If I'm addressing and envelope, writing a note to the UPS man, or filling out a form I print. If I writing notes or a letter or writing a check I use script.

 

As a side note, my Father graduated from art school in the early 30s and went into the advertising business. He never used script except to sign his name. Everything else he printed. I never asked him why. My Mother, on the other hand, had that beautiful, smooth, neat school-book script.

It's good to able to choose to use whichever style is more appropriate for a given situation isn't it?

 

Dom

[Ted F]

I don't want to beat this subject to death, however, I was wondering why I say script instead of cursive. I found out. Back in 1947 my Father gave me a book called "The Book of American Types" by American Type Founders and published in 1941. In that book was also a pamphlet called "Script and Manuscript Lettering" by Higgins Ink Company published in 1947. In the first paragraph they state "Script is a development from manuscript due to the connecting of alphabetical symbols for speedy writing". I was only 10 and I guess I believed them. I still have these books.

[tinkerteacher]

That is something that seems very practicular to NAmerican English, the meanings of the words "handwriting", "print", and "cursive" and how they are used differently than the rest of the world. And, the very heavy cultural, social baggage that those words carry in NAmerica.

 

I came to this forum to learn about fountain pens and to talk with my fellow addicts pen lovers, and here I am learning about the different regional varities of the English language.

 

Fascinating stuff.

Edited March 24, 2015 by tinkerteacher

[Ted F]

Actually when I use the term script I really only use it very occasionally but do use it instead of cursive to refer to joined letters. The term I most generally use in conversation is "handwriting". And when I say handwriting I am referring to a person's personal style of writing be it script or printing. For example, I would say that I am practicing my handwriting or that my son's handwriting is terrible. Although, you can also talk about handwriting in general. For example I could say, "Most of my students have poor handwriting."

 

It is interesting the way words are used differently around the world.

[tinkerteacher]

Yes, very interesting. Tthough it does sometimes lead to misunderstandings and crossed communications.

 

In the English I use, 'handwriting' refers to writing done by hand, be it joined-up (cursive) or print. And joined-up (cursive) or ''Cursif' as my teachers way way back when called it, refers to Spencerian, D’Nealian, italic, roundhand, whatever.

 

Modern italic and, my preferred style, modern european roundhand are nice because they can be written either slow and fancy or fast and simple. Very practical.

[Eiriee]

So, wait, in American does cursive mean something more than just "joined-up writing"?

 

Cause in England I was taught how to write printed first, letter by letter, then joined-up (cursive) although we were taught not to join certain letters - r, g, y, and s, and probably some others too we were told not to join to the next letter because it would make it hard to read. My teachers were annoyed when I started joining my g's and y's with the loop at the bottom 'too early'; I got the impression they allowed it with the older children, or maybe they just gave up at that point, and eventually they just gave up reprimanding me. I still don't join up my r's, but sometime's my s's get joined up.

[Ted F]

I think that's all cursive means. According to my iMac Dictionary:

 

cursive |ˈkərsiv| adjective

Written with the characters joined : cursive script.

 

When I learned to write I was taught to connect all the letters in a word.

Edited March 29, 2015 by Ted F

[BLLEE]

We were taught the Palmer Method in grade school and awarded a special pin if we met their strict standards. I am not aware I ever received a pin, but do remember getting my knuckles being smacked with a ruler.

 

In the Army we were taught to print everything so that others could read what we wrote.

 

Today, I write with my Grandfather's fountain pen and use a mixture of both. I find cursive as more attentive than printing. Also using my pens now slows down my writing (either printing or joined letter curvsive) and gives me pause to reflect on what I write, rather than the stream of conciousness pencil work I use for rough planning.

 

I has taken years to return to smooth cursive writing, but I am heartened that it is once again being taught.

[ac12]

When I went to school, MANY years ago, in the US, Palmer style writing was called script. The term cursive was never used. In fact I never used it until I found this forum. It was always script. Although I don't know what todays kids call it.

 

Someone once said of the US and England, "two countries, separated by a common language."

The Queen's english vs. American english.

[Ted F]

I also learned to write many years ago at a parochial school in Chicago's North Side. I don't know what they called it other than handwriting. I don't recall hearing the word Palmer. I do remember that we were taught to write the number 4 with the pointed, connected top. You weren't allowed to write it any other way, but at some point the Pope sent down a decree and we were told in a speech to the class that we were now allowed to use the 4 with the open top. I still switch back and forth between the two.