Handwriting was such an integral part of a person. You'd almost be able to identify a close friend just by looking at their handwriting and you'd see it frequently enough on letters and things.
As someone who practices Western calligraphy and who carries a fountain pen, i can't help but feel a little sad reading articles like that prove that the written hand is dying out.
>> Handwriting was such an integral part of a person.
That's a noble thought and all but it doesn't always work like you say. I bet my school teachers would recognise my handwriting from a mile away, yet even I have trouble reading what I used to write back then. And I wrote all the time. The only time I didn't write was when I was reading (I have this weird taboo about writing on books. I'm fine with drawing stick-figure animations on the corners though; you should see my school editions of the Iliad and the Odyssey, truly epic stick figure swordfights). And just to be clear, I never had any trouble with reading, nor with grammar or syntax. It was just my handwriting that was horrible.
My handwriting was what you'd call cacography, the opposite of calligraphy. It was like a chicken dipped its claws in ink and went digging for worms on the page. Very recognisable, but really not very good handwriting at all. I think it's because I was always in such a hurry to take it all down that I didn't stop to think about reading it back later.
To be honest, computer keyboards saved my writing.
> It was like a chicken dipped its claws in ink and went digging for worms on the page.
Hilariously, my handwriting was frequently described by teachers as "как курица лапой" which is just about the equivalent of your description.
Despite my terrible handwriting though, I still enjoy writing by hand. I've found I rarely ever end up going back to much of what I wrote down, but the whole process of turning thought into word into writing is very therapeutic and helpful for remembering and processing things.
Writing fast and nice is impossible, back then and now.
I learned to write nice and slow, it is completely impractical, can't do it for long texts, but it makes me feel better after so many years of only ugly handwriting.
I completely understand this, I used to be unable to write in my books, but forcing myself to start writing in my books was completely worth it. Now it feels natural. Its extremely valuable in non-fiction works to be able to pull open to a chapter and instantly find everything I found noteworthy.
Writing in books also allows for a good notetaking workflow: read a chapter or section while highlighting interest parts and writing symbols/questions/notes when needed. Then re-read the chapter and take notes, focusing on what you highlighted. Move questions and comments to the notes, and perhaps research the answer to those questions if necessary.
Finally I would also suggest writing in books in order to instill a proper relationship with property. Books are tools for conveying knowledge, writing in a book simply continues to fulfill that purpose. They aren't idols that ought to be put on a bookshelf to look at, they ought to be read and referenced. I think being willing to write in books helps create a healthier understanding of ownership: we own property; the property doesn't own us.
As someone who was ridiculed by peers and teachers and having had grades be dropped whole letters for poor legibility, I don't share the feeling. I tried years practicing and I am skilled in other dexterous tasks, but handwriting is not one of them. I still use a fountain pen though.
When personal computers hit the scene it was like manna from heaven. It has always been a huge physical challenge for me to write. I have to expend an extraordinary amount of energy to keep my arm and wrist steady when writing. The result is barely legible at best. Torture.
Later when programs came out they let you draw perfect squares, circles, and lines, I felt we had finally ushered in a New Age. I’ll be happy if I never have to pick up a pen again.
My handwriting still looks the same as it did in fourth grade. I was blessed with a forward looking teacher and school system that recognized my interests early and didn’t penalize me for bad penmanship. When my parents asked about my handwriting they said “why worry? He’ll be typing everything when he grows up - we all will!”
And they were right!
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. And I mean that almost literally. ‘Carrying around a fountain pen’ is definitely a bit of…fetish signalling. Dont get me wrong. I totally understand feeling sad about something that you’re into sinking further into obscurity. I’m just a little weary because it’s such Gen-X-and-above fodder to treat it as a sign of society in decline.
because it’s such Gen-X-and-above fodder to treat it as a sign of society in decline
I think it is more of a "reliance on tech", not of any gen, but of "where society is".
The point of cursive, was writing fast and legibly. You can write far faster than typing, for example, on a smartphone keyboard.
There is no correct or incorrect thing here, however, losing cursive means we are trapped in a world where everything we write, everything we do, is tracked.
This is really more about optimal use of a medium (paper), and is equivalent to being able to type on a qwerty keyboard, which is equally learned and weird.
So for me, it is about the loss of non-electronic means.
And that may be OK, but we may also find it is not some day.
EG, we will surely want efficient paper use, if we all end up in some controlled state. You'd be nuts to use any computing device to communicate then.
>> The point of cursive, was writing fast and legibly. You can write far faster than typing, for example, on a smartphone keyboard.
Smartphone, maybe, but I average 120 wpm on a computer keyboard and I can't get anywhere near that on a phone. By hand, if I write as fast as I think, I have trouble reading it later, myself. And if I try to write legibly --let alone trying to make pretty-looking letters-- my fingers start to hurt after a while, because I have to make such an effort.
I don't think I'm doing anything wrong. Sometimes I even find some of the shapes I make as I write by hand aesthetically pleasing to look at. They're just not easy to read.
You know, I think I'm confusing "cursive" with "calligraphic". My handwriting is "cursive" in the sense that letters are connected. But it's still very hard to read, both for me and everyone else who's ever tried.
What I was trying to say was that if I write by hand as fast and freely as I write on a keyboard, my handwriting is illegible. If I try to control it and make it more legible, it slows me down very much, and my hand hurts. And btw, it's still not pretty.
So basically I confused "cursive" with "neat, tidy, calligraphic handwriting" when even my sloppy, ugly, unreadable handwriting is at least somewhat cursive. Apologies- I'm not a native speaker of English.
If you have trouble with cramped fingers, try writing and steering from your elbow. Keep the pen in the same position in your hand without clenching and only move your elbow.
I should try that. When next I can find a good place to write. One more advantage of writing on a computer keyboard, you don't need a proper desk. Mine's always on my lap, even at work where I have a desk :)
I can type about 15-20 wpm on a computer keyboard. I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong either, and yet I can help but suspect you have learned and practiced something I have not.
Maybe something similar has happened with your writing.
I grew up in the cursive age and I'm mostly incapable of writing well by hand. No decades of practice ever budged that needle.
Past that, I'm glad to see cursive go away; it is only legible from the people who are capable of doing it well.
I've been doing genealogy for some years now and I can't count the number of unreadable documents that would have been saved, had they been written in block. For each one, I am reminded that cursive begins with curse.
when has that ever mattered? I grew up well before personal computing and even then we were using typewriters and later word processors… even in college I printed my notes and kept up fine
Handwriting was such an integral part of a person. You'd almost be able to identify a close friend just by looking at their handwriting and you'd see it frequently enough on letters and things.
As someone who practices Western calligraphy and who carries a fountain pen, i can't help but feel a little sad reading articles like that prove that the written hand is dying out.