Cursive
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- For the indie rock band, see Cursive (band).
Cursive is any style of handwriting in which all the letters in a word are connected, making a word one single (complicated) stroke. In British English, the phrase "joined-up writing" is far more commonly used, while the term "running writing" is sometimes used in Australia. Cursive is considered distinct from the so-called "printing" or "block letter" style of handwriting, in which the letters of a word are unconnected, and from "print-writing", which is a cross between cursive and printing, with some unconnected letters and some connected.
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[edit] Victorian Modern Cursive
Image:Cassowarys Victorian Modern Cursive.png
Victorian Modern Cursive originates from the state of Victoria, Australia, and was first used in 1985. In addition to Victoria, it is used in Western Australia and, to some extent, the rest of Australia. The most traditional of about six writing forms, specialized for either the left or right hand, it is based on French cursive handwriting, and therefore features a "p" and "b" with open bowls such that the letters look like "n" with a descender and "u" with an ascender, respectively, as well as an "x" formed from two semicircles. It differs particularly in its use of a block-letter "r" rather than a half "r", reduced loops and onsets, and slanted print-style capital letters similar to the "italic" schoolchildren's writing forms. The other writing forms do not have loops. This style of writing is taught primarily in primary school
More samples can be seen on the Victorian Government's early years of schooling webpage.
[edit] Criticism of Cursive
Cursive writing is increasingly denounced as out-of-date and obsolete [1] . Although the efficacy of cursive is debatable, there is no doubt that it is becoming less prevalent [2]. This is an issue because learning cursive is mandatory in many primary schools, and parents and teachers who believe cursive is obsolete don't want their children to waste time learning it.
Some arguments against learning cursive:
- Almost every book, newspaper, magazine, internet site, advertising script, on-screen television lettering, and product labelling uses a disconnected, printed font. Therefore, almost every literate person will have less experience reading cursive, which means printing is easier to read.
- As writing on computers becomes more popular (due to factors like ease of editing, instant transmission and publishing, perfect legibility, and access to tools like spelling and grammar checkers) handwriting becomes a fallback skill. For a fallback, printing may be "good enough".
- Cursive can't be used to fill in forms, and confuses OCR software, including the machines used to sort mail[3].
- Left-handed people may be at a greater disadvantage with cursive than printing [4].
- Cursive is said to be faster than printing, but most people are limited by the speed at which they can compose their thoughts, rather than the speed at which they can transcribe them onto paper. Secretaries, clerks, and scribes are an exception, but those occupations are increasingly rare.[citation needed]
- People tend to develop their own highly stylistic versions of standard cursive. This makes it difficult for one individual to read another's cursive with useful speed and accuracy, effectively diminishing any efficacy of the writing style.
[edit] See also
- Roman cursive
- Hebrew cursive
- Cursive script (East Asia) (Grass script)
- Penmanship
- Spencerian Script
- Emphasis (typography)
[edit] External links
- Lessons in Calligraphy and Penmanship, including scans of classic nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century manuals and examples
- The Golden Age of American Penmanship, including scans of the January 1932 issue of Austin Norman Palmer's American Penmande:Kursive
