Poll: Do You Write In Cursive?

[Fishcactus]

Ooookay... the poll totally confuses. me. I would have guessed about 95% of people would have checked cursive.

/snip

Hm, could be that this is another national/regional thing?

Maybe?

I was raised in England and we all wrote in cursive, and I still do. I thought everyone wrote like that?

I was actually really excited to learn cursive as a kid, my teacher let me learn it early. Even now I enjoy the actual act of writing and forming pleasing looking letters on a page.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Ooookay... the poll totally confuses. me. I would have guessed about 95% of people would have checked cursive.

Had to look up "Cursive" in wikipedia, because i thought maybe i have the wrong script/technique in mind... but nope. Cursive is the "normal" writing.

Block Letters is the "other kind". As far as i know only use for block is filling out forms (Where it had to be very clear and legible) or... if you have a writing/reading disorder. Or leaving VERY clear signs/notes for people.

My neffew for example has a bit of trouble writing and prefers to use the clearer, slower block letters, thinking about the letters one-by-one.

Hm, could be that this is another national/regional thing?

Wikipedia:

"On the 2006 SAT, a United States post-secondary education entrance exam, only 15 percent of the students wrote their essay answers in cursive.[8]"

Ok, this is just strange...

just to reaffirm this, at least in my part of the US, cursive is pretty much never used anymore (aside from a signature, hell my signature is a certain scribble of a few specific letters and that's it.) and you get the "what the fuck is this shit" stink eye if you hand someone a paper/notes with it written in cursive. Cursive is certainly faster for some people, but I've yet to see it be as clear as non-cursive handwriting, and nearly all of my writing is simply typing on the computer (has been for nearly 6 years now) so I don't use cursive since that's not standard/formal when typing on the computer.

 

[Loop Stricken]

I do. I find that it is quicker, and while it is mostly illegible by people other than myself it is great for leaving a signature, which is the only thing that I actually write without a computer these days anyway.

This, except it's practically illegible for myself after about five minutes.

 

[EHKOS]

Only to sign for things. Forms, packages. That's the only time I pick up a writing utensil actually. Keyboards are fast, and I use Notepad for everything I need to write down.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

In New Zealand the word cursive is not used, its just called handwriting. As far as I can tell our system is much simpler than what most in the USA would consider cursive as only the letters that would be logically joined to make it faster are linked making it much more readable and far easier to learn.

Heres an example:

Spoiler

yeah in the US that definitely wouldn't be called cursive, you're just using normal letters and not really lifting the pen from the paper (when I'm writing super fast that's typically what happens between my letters, the pen drags a light line between letters)

so maybe that's what is confusing the poll a bit since the term "cursive" seems to be subjective from nation to nation.

 

[Emcee_N]

Yeah, that "joined" Foundation example is pretty textbook "cursive" in Australia as well. Literally, in fact - I think I recognise that font from handwriting sheets at school.
So yes, I use that. Unless I'm in a hurry or writing something very long.

 

[spartan231490]

I do not. I would, but when writing cursive I write VERY quickly, so quickly that I can barely read what I write, especially if any time passes and the ink fades.

Of course it should be taught in classes. Kids need to learn it in case they encounter it, we can't have any half-illiterates. I don't agree with it being mandatory to use it on all assignments though. fuck that.

 

[Kate Gladstone]

I use italic ... Details here: BFHhandwriting.com,
handwritingsuccess.com,
briem.net,
HandwritingThatWorks.com,
italic-handwriting.org, studioarts.net/calligraphy/italic/hwlesson.html,
literacyonline.tki.org.nz/content/download/24055/267096/file/teaching-handwriting.pdf

It's much like semi-joined printing, often with a calligraphy pen.

Interestingly, research (available on request) shows that the fastest and clearest handwriters are the semi-joined printers.

 

[Kate Gladstone]

There's another handwriting survey out there ... also a one-question survey, but it allows you to e surprisingly detailed about HOW you write (not just overall "brand name" such as print or cursive). Visit the One-Question Handwriting Survey at poll.fm/4zac4

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

My handwriting is absolutely atrocious, so I'll write in cursive if I'm the only person that needs to read it. If not, I'll write in block capitals. I can actually write very well in cursive, but it takes forever for me to do so, so I use that for writing cards. Otherwise my writing is a great big scrawly mess, cursive or no.

 

[DugMachine]

As soon as I left second grade I never had to use cursive ever again. Even my signature is just a scribble that vaguely resembles my name and its all muscle memory. I can read cursive just fine though so I have no problems in that regard. I think it's a pretty outdated way of writing but I have no strong feelings one way or the other if it was never taught or is continued to be taught. Typing is so much better

 

[CymbaIine]

Yes, I have to make notes for my job. I have to do this whilst talking to people in situations that can be emotional and/or volatile. Writing in cursive IS quicker and allows me to maintain good communication. Of course I have to go back to an office and type all my notes up but I would hate to use a laptop to make notes, I have seen other people do my job using a laptop and I have to say I find it completely inappropriate.

I hate to admit this by the way, I have been saying that cursive is a waste of time for years because even people who have to write (Police officers mainly) can't use cursive. Alas my teachers were right, I am glad I learned.

 

[newfoundsky]

I used to, but then the military MADE ALL OF MY HANDWRITING LOOK LIKE THIS NO MATTER WHAT, BECAUSE WHENEVER WE HAD WATCH, WE HAD TO WRITE LOGS, AND EVERYONE WHO KNEW ENGLISH HAD TO BE ABLE TO READ THEM. ALSO WE HAD TO SLASH OUR ZEROS AND 6'S AND 9'S LOOK LIKE PERFECT CIRCLES WITH A LINE ON IT. I HAVE NOT STOPPED WRITING LIKE THIS. WHAT DO LOWER CASE LETTERS LOOK LIKE? I HAD TO WRITE A PAPER BY HAND IN ONE OF MY COLLEGE COURSES, AND HAVING RECEIVED LOW MARKS FOR THIS INGRAINED HABIT BEFORE, I HAD TO LOOK UP HOW TO MAKE A LOWER CASE "Q" AND "P", HAVING FORGOTTEN THAT "P" JUST SITS LOWER ON THE LINE.

I PROMISE I'M NOT SHOUTING.