I just had to take a photograph of this the other day. Isn’t the handwriting gorgeous?
You don’t see handwriting very often these days. I have noticed that quite a number of my younger students have difficulty reading handwriting – particularly cursive – in old documents, recipes and letters. I must admit that I find some cursive writing in old documents quite a challenge (particularly if it is very slanted) myself, but I can usually make it out after a second or two.
Do you think this difficulty reading handwritten documents is due to not reading things written by hand, or due to so many children not learning cursive in school anymore?
I learned cursive very early and had to use it all through school. Once I began university though, I switched to print script instead because, as a leftie, I found it easier.
As far as I can remember,
- longhand is the same as cursive (joined letters)
- printing or print script is the same as block script or block letters (non-joined letters)
- block capitals are print letters in uppercase
- The Spencerian Method was the standardised method of handwriting from the mid-1800s and was followed by the Palmer Method in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A simplified version of the Palmer Method, called D’Nealian was introduced in 1978 to make it easier for children to move from script to cursive. I seem to remember it as a mix of the two.
It’s a nice handwriting in the sense it’s easy to read but I wouldn’t like to write like that. I much prefer cursive to print script. Here children learn cursive and are not allowed to use print script. Later in life 90% of people still use cursive. I’ve been teaching at university for more than twenty years and I rarely read print script (from French students). Most people using print script here are British or American people and northern Europeans.
When at school here in Sweden, I learnt print script and a version of D’Nealian. But I wanted to write like my parents and grandparents, so I asked them to show me how they wrote and then I copied that. Then I practiced and practiced. Nowadays I always write in cursive (if I’m not writing a note to a student (secondary school) which doesn’t read cursive). I prefer writing by hand and only use the computer for my e-mails. Often I write letters by hand, it’s so much nicer I think. 🙂
I love getting handwritten letters!
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
BEAUTY FAR BEYOND MY CAPABILITIES 😀