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I write by hand a lot, actually most of my writing is by hand and I've pretty much always written in cursive since elementary school, the only times I don't is

I write by hand a lot, actually most of my writing is by hand and I've pretty much always written in cursive since elementary school, the only times I don't is for forms, those I write in all capitals. I know that this is wrong and that it's only in my head but I see pretty much all other writing that isn't in cursive as childish. The sheer possibility that people might finish schools without knowing how to write in cursive is kind of worrying, because I fear that this is walking on a path towards a world where people stop writing by hand and in time even forget how to write... And you might say that they won't forget because they constantly see and read the letters, but I can read hiragana and katakana, I can't write them though or it takes me quite a lot of thinking to get the image of the "letter" into my mind to be able to write it. And that's just because I don't write in then pretty much at all. You lose what you don't use.

Dalewyn 4y ago
The problem with cursive is it has no relation to literally anything else. The shapes are only marginally similar to print, and some letters like Z and capital F and G are downright arcane. Trying to read certain cursive, particularly bad or heavily-stylized ones, is downright impossible. Handwriting can be just as easily done using print, and is how I've always handwritten everything. The only time I use cursive is when I sign stuff, and only because I followed everyone else using cursive to sign. Print is also generally much easier to read, too; regardless the skill or style of the writer. This is distinctly different from WorProBaka ("word processing idiot"), where people of all ages (this affects nearly everyone, not just the young) forget how to write certain kanji simply because Kakijun (stroke order) and their overall complexity easily fade from memory without constant reinforcement from common use. These people can all still read the kanji they've forgotten how to write.
- Izkata 4y ago
  > The shapes are only marginally similar to print, and some letters like Z and capital F and G are downright arcane. There's an informal style that uses printed capital letters connected to cursive lower letters. Solves a lot of those problems. Also don't forget cursive capital Q.
showerst 4y ago
I learned cursive in school and haven’t used it at least 20 years, except to read historical curiosities like old letters. While I think it will still be many generations before people can get away with not being able to hand write at all, I’m not so sure it’s a negative. I can type an order of magnitude faster than I can write, to the point where hand writing is frustrating. It just feels like it imposes such limits on expression to go so slowly.

Dalewyn 4y ago

The problem with cursive is it has no relation to literally anything else. The shapes are only marginally similar to print, and some letters like Z and capital F and G are downright arcane. Trying to read certain cursive, particularly bad or heavily-stylized ones, is downright impossible. Handwriting can be just as easily done using print, and is how I've always handwritten everything. The only time I use cursive is when I sign stuff, and only because I followed everyone else using cursive to sign. Print is also generally much easier to read, too; regardless the skill or style of the writer. This is distinctly different from WorProBaka ("word processing idiot"), where people of all ages (this affects nearly everyone, not just the young) forget how to write certain kanji simply because Kakijun (stroke order) and their overall complexity easily fade from memory without constant reinforcement from common use. These people can all still read the kanji they've forgotten how to write.

Izkata 4y ago
> The shapes are only marginally similar to print, and some letters like Z and capital F and G are downright arcane. There's an informal style that uses printed capital letters connected to cursive lower letters. Solves a lot of those problems. Also don't forget cursive capital Q.

showerst 4y ago

I learned cursive in school and haven’t used it at least 20 years, except to read historical curiosities like old letters. While I think it will still be many generations before people can get away with not being able to hand write at all, I’m not so sure it’s a negative. I can type an order of magnitude faster than I can write, to the point where hand writing is frustrating. It just feels like it imposes such limits on expression to go so slowly.