This is a seriously awesome script.

[conuly]

Look at it! And they say American cursive is curly. This is like... curly CURLY curly. Look at those Ns! I have no idea how anybody ever learned to read this stuff, but it's really pretty.

So I've caved and started Ana on basic cursive, one letter a day (excepting Monday). When she gets all the lowercase letters down I'll start copying out her sight word worksheets every day for her to do in cursive as well. She doesn't like the work, but she *is* pleased at how neat her handwriting already is and that it's easy enough. And she more or less understands my point that learning it now is a lot easier than unlearning print when she's 8 or 9. Even if they don't enforce it, it's just a lot of stress. (To be honest, I just got tired of seeing her hold her pencil wrong, and I *know* it's because of the printing!)

I still want to see other types of cursive than the one I'm able to print out worksheets of, but I've yet to figure out the search terms.

Comments

[sayga.livejournal.com]

You see how they do the #1 at the bottom of the page there, almost like an upside down check mark? That's how they write 1 in Madagascar too. Just an interesting observation.

[sarahwilder.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid, our neighbors across the street babysat for my sister and I before and after school. They were German (Holocaust survivors) and Katie used to have grocery lists and notes in that script all over the house. I was totally fascinated because it looked so mysterious and interesting. Thanks for the blast from the past.

[conuly]

A blast from the VERY far past, it wasn't taught past 1941.

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

That is pretty enough script to make me want to start handwriting things again!

[dandelion.livejournal.com]

My grandma's handwriting looked quite similar to that; she would have been taught to write in about 1925 or so, so a little earlier than the sample. It always unnerves me how most Germans of the same age, even now, have the same handwriting - I could never tell my cousins' and friends' writing apart.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I have no idea how anybody ever learned to read this stuff, but it's really pretty.

Very easily, to be honest. As soon as you've got the weird "e", "r" and "o" and "S"s down, all the rest is practice. I used to be able to both read and write fluently when I was younger and helping my mom decipher old letters. These days - gone out of practice, since I hardly need it - I could no longer actively write in it without looking half the letters up, but I can still read it (albeit slowly). I find it puzzling when people tell me they were never able to decipher Sütterlin; I can't help thinking that they can't have put much of an effort into it. I mean, we're talking about a variant of Latin writing here - it's not like it's Japanese or anything....

[l33tminion]

I can't stand cursive. Don't understand why someone would want to use if for something other than calligraphy, don't understand the amount of effort spent teaching it to children who don't particularly want to learn it. Cursive is to writing as jargon is to speech.

But I'm biased, I could never read the stuff well or write it legibly.

[gep.livejournal.com]

One of the greatest living masters of American penmanship is Michael Sull. I have had the honor of taking classes with him several times. Although he is famed for his ornamental penmanship, he has modified Spencerian script to produce what he calls "American Cursive". It is an absolutely beautiful, very legible hand. It is easy to learn (although mastery of American Cursive, like many things, requires drills and hard work.) It emphasizes good form-- not only is it important to hold the pencil correctly, it is also important to learn the proper arm and muscle movements when writing. I wish someone had trained me to write with whole arm movement instead of hand or wrist movement; it would have saved me many years of misery and pain endured through note-taking in high school, college, and meetings.

Eventually, when I began to get serious about calligraphy, I discovered pointed pen scripts and Spencerian script, and that's when I discovered whole arm movement.

Mike Sull doesn't appear to have published his American Cursive curriculum yet, but I took a class on American Cursive with him and have the rather extensive handouts that were provided, including notes, many worksheets and exercises. I'll email him to get permission (and to make sure a published guide to American Cursive isn't out yet,) and if it's OK with the copyright holder (I'm pretty sure it would be,) I can send you a copy of all of my material on American Cursive. If the book is out, I can get a copy and send you that too. :-)

I am a calligrapher and an active member of IAMPETH, the International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting (http://www.iampeth.com). We're passionate about the importance of teaching penmanship and good handwriting skills. Unlike many in that organization, I'm also very interested in digital typography; I collect, study, and have created fonts, and have used computers to correct, enhance and speed up my work.

Until everyone carries around computing devices with true cross-platform compatibility accessible by all devices and the ready means of producing a hardcopy (yes, a hardcopy-- it will be a long, long time before we completely obviate the need for producing a hardcopy in all situations,) good penmanship and attractive, legible handwriting will still be important. I hope it remains important even after that; the skills we carry with us (plus pen and paper) are far more fault-tolerant than any technology I've ever encountered.

Cursive, in particular, is important for several reasons . Learning and practicing cursive helps children develop fine motor skills. It also helps develop endurance and muscle control. Cultivating good cursive handwriting skills allows students to read and write quickly; it also allows them to decipher the cursive handwriting of others-- when you are familiar with the mechanics involved, it becomes easier to read other people's handwriting, even when it's awful.

Although I am a strong advocate for teaching, practicing and mastering cursive, I believe in using the right tool for the job. Cursive is often not that tool. I fill out forms in block-printing like a junior draftsman; I frequently print neatly on envelopes, memos and the like; for fancy stuff, I break out my pens and ink and my ornamental scripts; for taking notes, writing a personal letter or thank-you, or situations where speed matters, cursive is indispensable.

Anyhow, let me know if you're interested in the American Cursive stuff (and, if so, where to send it) and I'll try to get it to you.

[conuly]

1. You realize you kinda dropped off the face of the earth for a few years, right? How are you?

2. I've actually been reading some stuff on how cursive is best to learn in early childhood rather than printing for developmental reasons (mostly "it's harder to reverse b and d that way!"), which is what tipped me over to just showing Ana now. Not that my cursive handwriting is anything to write home about, but we're trying to *avoid* that here.

3. Although cursive writing finally started to make SENSE to me when my handwriting eventually became carelessly sloppy enough (as compared to laboriously sloppy enough) to spontaneously emulate italic handwriting. So maybe my cursive has improved over time, come to think.

4. That'd be very useful! I'm printing worksheets off the internet right now (well... making my mom do it, as I lack a printer), so more information would be super useful. I'll email you, or you can email me - I'm conuly over at yahoo too. (I'm conuly everywhere by now.)