Thread: Cursive

Originally Posted by Bruno

Y dn't U tch '3m txtng 0r lee75p3ak

Please translate. I don't text.

Don

We were required to write all papers in cursive when i was in school. With that said, it has been over 10 years since i wrote in cursive.

I probably have a mixture of cursive/print now.

One of my wife's friends once overheard a woman get very angry at a restaurant manager because she couldn't read the specials written on the board.

She exclaimed:

"They never taught me no cursive!"


I have a feeling that's not the only thing she hasn't learned, but to a large extent it isn't her fault, it is that of the system.

As an aside, I have more of a problem in general with 'how' subjects are taught. The "try it again" as opposed to "try it differently" way of teaching can and does cause issues in one's education.

Memorization is a skill that does not help you understand, it only helps you recall facts. (Not to say that facts aren't unimportant, but understanding what they mean and imply completes the equation and is a bit more important in getting something done - you can't look up inspiration). I think that judging intelligence in children by testing for wrong/right memory is doing them a great disservice.

Knowledge != Intelligence.


"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
-Albert Einstein


-tom

I was taught cursive at a young age...ad nauseum! We did it over and over and over again...and yet I still write in a hybrid.

But I think it's one of those things you should learn, if for no other reason that to not learn it would be a regression of society, and not an advancement - we should always seek to push forward, regardless of the level of difficulty.

Mark

I will go one further:

I think calligraphy should be taught not just cursive. Typography is the oldest form of graphic design and solving design problems is very beneficial to any education IMO. It is a skill that drives innovation, something we need dearly.

On a related note:

How many are aware that a single space after periods and other concluding punctuation is now becoming standard? MLA states that it is preferred and the Chicago Style Manual says it's standard. It has to do with the fact that most fonts are no longer monospaced.


-Rob

People come into the tattoo shop and want a name tattooed in script. I write it on a piece of paper and show it to them for their approval. A lot of the time a customer in their late teens, early twenties will act as if I pulled a rabbit out of a hat or made an elephant disappear. I couldn't figure it out until I heard that they had never learned to write in cursive.

When I heard about cursive no longer being a mandatory part of the elementary school curriculum I started asking young people if they knew how to write in that style. Most would shake their head and reply wistfully, "No, wish I could, we never learned that."

It seems to me that people in general got a more comprehensive (read better) education in the 1920s and '30s then in the 1970s and onward. A steady decline IMO. This is a personal observation based on talking to my parents and other people from the different age groups over the years.

Originally Posted by sicboater

On a related note:

How many are aware that a single space after periods and other concluding punctuation is now becoming standard? MLA states that it is preferred and the Chicago Style Manual says it's standard. It has to do with the fact that most fonts are no longer monospaced.

This causes me aggravation with various editors. They flag a double space after punctuation and you have to get deep into the options to change it...

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

When I heard about cursive no longer being a mandatory part of the elementary school curriculum I started asking young people if they knew how to write in that style. Most would shake their head and reply wistfully, "No, wish I could, we never learned that."

regardless of the other points, what about speed? You will always have to write something sometime or other. I was under the impression that the main purpose behind cursive was speed and mechanical ease of writing. You don't lift the pen off the paper and the motion is continuous.

when I was learning to write, in the late 80's, cursive was taught starting in 3rd grade. as of 4th grade, all of my homework HAD to be in cursive or it wasn't counted. This remained in effect until high school.

My handwriting was always poor. I didn't get good at penmanship until I was an adult and learned to glory in it.


Also, I only use a fountain pen, so I pretty much have to use cursive. We used fountain pens in school when we were learning, as well. Doing cursive with a ballpoint (or any writing) sucks.

The secretarial script which Shakespeare wrote in is no longer used and indeed most people can't even read it any more.

http://www-english.tamu.edu/pers/fac...e/HandD150.jpg

Perhaps this is the time to move on for cursive script as well. I too shall bemoan the loss, however.

X

When i write, I print. I can print as fast as I can write cursive and it is much clearer and easier to read. I reject the premise that you can tell anyting about me or anyone else based looking at their handwriting.