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Typical cursive is a form of connected writing originally designed for pens and quills with flexible nibs. Letters like ℓ have loops because when writing with t

by bfrydl 7y ago

Typical cursive is a form of connected writing originally designed for pens and quills with flexible nibs. Letters like ℓ have loops because when writing with these tools the downstroke is thicker than the upstroke. The result is a recognizable lowercase L with a thin stroke on the side. It's easy to read even if you've never had to before. This form of writing was dated as soon as the ballpoint pen was invented, which was in the 19th century. Writing it with a pencil makes even less sense. By tradition we have clung to this terrible writing style instead of introducing something more sensible and modern like italic cursive, which is connected but without loops.

reaperducer 7y ago
Cursive exists not because of quills and ink but because it’s easier on hand muscles when writing long form. People used to write hundreds of pages a week. The letters I sent to friends when I was in college were probably 20 or 30 pages each, and several went out each week. Writing that much in print hurts my hand, even today. Last year I switched back to cursive in my daily work notebook and it’s reduced hand pain greatly.
- bfrydl 7y ago
  Cursive in general, meaning letters connected together to minimize pen lifts, still exists because it's easier and faster than block lettering. It's the particular kind of looped cursive taught in America that was designed for dip pens and other older instruments. Writing this script with a modern pen or pencil trades legibility for writing speed and comfort. My point is that if we want to keep teaching kids connected writing, there are cursive scripts that are easier to teach, easier to write, and easier to read than the one we've clung to for so long.
talideon 7y ago
> This form of writing was dated as soon as the ballpoint pen was invented, which was in the 19th century. While technically correct, that's all this is. Loud might've invented the ballpoint in the late 19th century, but they weren't of even remotely practical use until the late 1930s with Bíró's refinements, and even then they only took off after WW2. > By tradition we have clung to this terrible writing style instead of introducing something more sensible and modern like italic cursive, which is connected but without loops. That's wholly a matter of personal style. Plenty of people learn and use cursive styles that lack loops.
sandworm101 7y ago
>> lung to this terrible writing style instead of introducing something more sensible and modern Maybe in how writing is taught in schools, but the wider world has moved on. Most people now use a Frankenstein combination of printed and cursive characters which varies with the formality of the note and need for clarity. I print things that need to be letter-perfect (codes etc) and scribble the stuff that doesn't.

by bfrydl 7y ago

reaperducer 7y ago

Cursive exists not because of quills and ink but because it’s easier on hand muscles when writing long form. People used to write hundreds of pages a week. The letters I sent to friends when I was in college were probably 20 or 30 pages each, and several went out each week. Writing that much in print hurts my hand, even today. Last year I switched back to cursive in my daily work notebook and it’s reduced hand pain greatly.

bfrydl 7y ago
Cursive in general, meaning letters connected together to minimize pen lifts, still exists because it's easier and faster than block lettering. It's the particular kind of looped cursive taught in America that was designed for dip pens and other older instruments. Writing this script with a modern pen or pencil trades legibility for writing speed and comfort. My point is that if we want to keep teaching kids connected writing, there are cursive scripts that are easier to teach, easier to write, and easier to read than the one we've clung to for so long.

talideon 7y ago

> This form of writing was dated as soon as the ballpoint pen was invented, which was in the 19th century. While technically correct, that's all this is. Loud might've invented the ballpoint in the late 19th century, but they weren't of even remotely practical use until the late 1930s with Bíró's refinements, and even then they only took off after WW2. > By tradition we have clung to this terrible writing style instead of introducing something more sensible and modern like italic cursive, which is connected but without loops. That's wholly a matter of personal style. Plenty of people learn and use cursive styles that lack loops.

sandworm101 7y ago

>> lung to this terrible writing style instead of introducing something more sensible and modern Maybe in how writing is taught in schools, but the wider world has moved on. Most people now use a Frankenstein combination of printed and cursive characters which varies with the formality of the note and need for clarity. I print things that need to be letter-perfect (codes etc) and scribble the stuff that doesn't.