Do you think writing in cursive is going out of style?

[ehrenfest]

Do you think writing in cursive is going out of style? I heard someone say today that they might stop teaching it because everyone seemed to be writing in the standard, non-cursive way or just using a computer and not really writing by hand at all very much. There are some disadvantages to it...such as having to go back and dot your i's and cross your ts and being kind of sloppy sometimes, but in general I think you can write quite a bit faster with it. What do people here think? Do you use cursive?

 

[ndnkyd]

I fall into the category you've mentioned with doing away with cursive. Partially because my handwriting has always been horrible, but its worse with cursive.

 

[mgb_phys]

I think like most people today I only write (by hand) for me. Anything for anyone else (beyond a note on the fridge) is going to be typed, in an email or IM.
So I tend to write in a - first two letters are legible the rest is a scrawl, sort of unofficial shorthand.

 

[SticksandStones]

I think like most people today I only write (by hand) for me. Anything for anyone else (beyond a note on the fridge) is going to be typed, in an email or IM.
So I tend to write in a - first two letters are legible the rest is a scrawl, sort of unofficial shorthand.

What I've noticed a lot of people do (myself included) is sort of a mix between cursive and print.

 

[Kurdt]

I print. It looks better. Speed is not my objective, clarity and presentation are.

 

[physics girl phd]

About the only thing cursive is useful for is writing a signature. Perhaps they should only teach that (individually to each child... perhaps pretty far along, since there's no reason to sign anything until one is at least high school age).

Personally, I only print (other than my signature), and I've noticed one of my stepsons has horrid printing, in part because they pushed "denelian" (a cross between printing and cursive) right after they taught basic printing (certainly before he mastered it!).

 

[mgb_phys]

At least we avoided a generation being taught to write in that PalmPilot single stroke writing system!

 

[Adeimantus]

About the only thing cursive is useful for is writing a signature. Perhaps they should only teach that (individually to each child... perhaps pretty far along, since there's no reason to sign anything until one is at least high school age).

Personally, I only print (other than my signature), and I've noticed one of my stepsons has horrid printing, in part because they pushed "denelian" (a cross between printing and cursive) right after they taught basic printing (certainly before he mastered it!).

Sorry to interrupt the thread, but is that a cat resting its head on a copy of Sakurai? My cat is still working through Liboff, after which he is going to teach it to me...At least that was the deal.

 

[Cyrus]

As an engineer, I prefer block letter script you would find on an engineering drawing. Very art-deco.

I honestly think cursive is a dead form of writing. I would only support it if people still wrote things by hand and had actual penmanship. Since they don't, it often turns out craptastic.

 

[lisab]

As an engineer, I prefer block letter script you would find on an engineering drawing. Very art-deco.

I honestly think cursive is a dead form of writing. I would only support it if people still wrote things by hand and had actual penmanship. Since they don't, it often turns out craptastic.

I love the look of block letters, but it takes so long to write neatly. I tend to mix printing with cursive, just for speed.

 

[Hurkyl]

Cursive is important! Mathematicians need all the fonts they can get!

 

[Cyrus]

Are you sure that's cursive and not cursing?

 

[jaredm2012]

I write with a combination of cursive and print. I just sort of randomly change, often in mid-word. If I'm writing a letter, I usually write it in cursive, unless it is really formal in which case I'll usually type it or try to print it as neatly as I can.

I should use it when I take notes, as it would be a lot easier and much more quick, but I tend not to write very neatly when I write so fast and I often can't read what I wrote.

 

[arunma]

Yeah, I remember learning cursive in second and third grade. I actually used it a lot up to high school. A lot of teachers complained that my handwriting was horrible. And then in tenth grade my English teacher actually returned something back to me ungraded because my handwriting was too bad. I tried writing it normally, and she happily accepted it. After that I figured out that the key to good handwriting was just not writing in cursive anymore. I tried taking notes in cursive once during my junior year of college, but I realized that I had forgotten most of the letters. Now I only use cursive to sign my name.

I do admit that it takes a long time to write anything, especially since most of my written communication is typed on a computer. Last summer when I took my PhD qualifier, most of the questions required explanations (who would think that quantum mechanics problems would require writing sentences!?). And this was the first time in awhile that I actually had to write a paragraph under time constraints, so that hurt my wrist. But hey, at least the graders could read it.

 

[Ouabache]

When called upon to write by hand, I also fall into the category of using a hybrid of cursive & print. I recall writing/filling those little blue books with lengthy answers for History exams. I don't really think about it. I start off printing, but along the way, make cursive strokes. The cursive part must be ingrained in my head from grade school.

Do I think cursive is going out of style? Judging by the comments on this thread, it does seem that way. Though I enjoy reading good cursive script. Here's an example (though I do see this person got carried away dotting i's).
(ref: www.iampeth.com)
http://www.iampeth.com/artwork/ECMills_01.jpg

My Dad and sister both have have excellent cursive penmanship, very round and flowing. Mine is just average. Yet my grad school advisor's writing was chicken scratch. With practice, I could decipher it.

 

[maze]

At this point I don't think I could write cursive if I tried. The last time I used it was on a standardized test (GRE, I think?) where they make you copy a statement in cursive saying you won't discuss the answers or somesuch. It took me like 5 minutes to copy a couple sentences. I was holding the whole room up, it was kind of embarassing.

 

[Kurdt]

Here's an example of my writing from some of my textbook notes.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8186/1000090bx6.jpg

I guess I use a mixture of both since I spotted a few cursive s letters and all my f's g's and y's are cursive.

 

[cristo]

I always write using cursive, though it's more of a 'my style' of cursive.. I don't do the backwards r's, for example. I was taught what we called 'joined up writing' at a pretty young age, and so don't really ever remember writing any differently. If I had to print things I'd never get anything done, since it's way faster to write cursive.

 

[Kurdt]

I always write using cursive, though it's more of a 'my style' of cursive.. I don't do the backwards r's, for example. I was taught what we called 'joined up writing' at a pretty young age, and so don't really ever remember writing any differently. If I had to print things I'd never get anything done, since it's way faster to write cursive.

Did you have to watch that orange pencil with the light in it as well?

 

[ehrenfest]

Whenever I write in cursive I have kind of a bias to not use words that contain an i or a t or a j because I have to go back and complete those letters. :) When I do use words that have a t, I have a tendency to just draw a line over the entire word, crossing my ls as well as my ts. When I do use words that have an i or a j, I have a tendency to dot some random letter with a large radius of it.

 

[~christina~]

I print. It looks better. Speed is not my objective, clarity and presentation are.

well, if your instructor is changing ppt slides every 15 seconds, I think you'll try to be quick.

I usually mix script with print, but if I have the time I print, very neatly.

 

[Kurdt]

I used to rewrite all my notes. I'm a freak I know.

 

[chaoseverlasting]

I write only in cursive. Granted, mine isn't very arty or whatever, but its cursive, though without all the loops. I don't like writing in print, don't know why.

 

[mikelepore]

Here's an example (though I do see this person got carried away dotting i's).

I wonder why the "t" at the end of the word "arrangement" is different from all other t's. It looks phony to me, an affectation. I never learned that style of "t" either. I can only identify it as being a "t" from the context in the word.

Here's another thing that I have never seen before. The way the writer makes any "r" that follows a mid-line letter, such as "wr", is different from any "r" that follows a base-line letter, such as "ir". I was never taught that.

 

[Cyrus]

well, if your instructor is changing ppt slides every 15 seconds, I think you'll try to be quick.

I usually mix script with print, but if I have the time I print, very neatly.

Don't you get a printout of your slides? My teacher emails them to us, we print them out. I just sit back in class and watch him via webcam at NASA and write down anything on the printed slides if I have to (but never have). I love the way he teaches too. The slides are just summaries of the chapters in the book, and nothing is derived anywhere. He just talks about the equations and what the terms are/mean. It's great. At this point in life, I don't need people to derive things for me. I can read that myself in the book, thank you. In one of my classes last semester, I was the only person that sat there and just listened to the professor. I stopped taking notes when I realized 100% was in the book. I was also the only one answering his questions because I wasn't too busy writing things down at Mach 1.

Honestly, you don't even need slides or class notes. It's all in the book most (99.99) of the time.

 

[ElikuAberts]

I try to always write in cursive... it is so pretty!

Good penmenship is important... I don't think cursive should be done away with.

 

[mcknia07]

Here's an example of my writing from some of my textbook notes.


I guess I use a mixture of both since I spotted a few cursive s letters and all my f's g's and y's are cursive.

You have very nice writting! It's very ledgable. By the looks of it, I would guess you are a lefty?

I do tend to write with a mixture, but it also looks pretty crappy, too.

 

[Kurdt]

You have very nice writting! It's very ledgable. By the looks of it, I would guess you are a lefty?

I do tend to write with a mixture, but it also looks pretty crappy, too.

No, I'm a right-hander.

 

[mcknia07]

Wow, I think it kinda looks like you have the slight slant of a lefty, lol.

Very nice though

 

[Ouabache]

I wonder why the "t" at the end of the word "arrangement" is different from all other t's. It looks phony to me, an affectation. I never learned that style of "t" either. I can only identify it as being a "t" from the context in the word.

I caught that too. I was looking for more words that may end in "t" but didn't see any more examples. I make my "t" all the same way (none like theirs), but I have seen this kind before.

Here's another thing that I have never seen before. The way the writer makes any "r" that follows a mid-line letter, such as "wr", is different from any "r" that follows a base-line letter, such as "ir". I was never taught that.

Good call, I didn't notice that before. That midline concept implies the writer's "r" in "br" would be like their "wr".

 

[Proton Soup]

I used to rewrite all my notes. I'm a freak I know.

not at all. i think there's something to it. it enhances learning. both the rewriting process, and clear text is easier to process.

 

[G01]

What I've noticed a lot of people do (myself included) is sort of a mix between cursive and print.

I fall into this category myself. Unfortunately, both my handwriting and printing is comepletly illegible!

 

[WhoWee]

I fall into this category myself. Unfortunately, both my handwriting and printing is comepletly illegible!

I also do some kind of a mix but mostly printing...cursive for familiar info and printing for everything else. I've always taken a lot of notes...don't want to remember all of the details (business deals not science)...but it is necessary to gather all of the details at a later date...if I don't print...I can't understand my own notes without a lot of effort.