Bengali Half of the National Anthem of Bangladesh, written in cursive Bengali Although by the 2010s, the use of cursive appeared to be on the decline, as of 2019 it seemed to be coming back into use. This term in turn derives from Latin currere ('to run, hasten'). The term cursive derives from Middle French cursif from Medieval Latin cursivus, which literally means 'running'. Ĭursive was also favoured because the writing tool was rarely taken off the paper. The individuality of the provenance of a document (see Signature) was a factor also, as opposed to machine font. Steel dip pens followed quills they were sturdier, but still had some limitations. They also run out of ink faster than most contemporary writing utensils. Quills are fragile, easily broken, and will spatter unless used properly. The origins of the cursive method are associated with practical advantages of writing speed and infrequent pen-lifting to accommodate the limitations of the quill.

Many, but not all, letters in the handwriting of the Renaissance were joined, as most are today in cursive italic. The term 'italic' as it relates to handwriting is not to be confused with italic typed letters. Italic penmanship became popular in the 15th-century Italian Renaissance. In italic cursive, there are no joins from g, j, q, or y, and a few other joins are discouraged. In Maharashtra, there was a cursive alphabet, known as the 'Modi' script, used to write the Marathi language.Ĭursive italic penmanship-derived from chancery cursive-uses non-looped joins, and not all letters are joined. In Hebrew cursive and Roman cursive, the letters are not connected. In the Arabic, Syriac, Latin, and Cyrillic alphabets, many or all letters in a word are connected (while others must not), sometimes making a word one single complex stroke. Not all cursive copybooks join all letters formal cursive is generally joined, but casual cursive is a combination of joins and pen lifts. This writing style is distinct from 'print-script' using block letters, in which the letters of a word are unconnected and in Roman/Gothic letter-form rather than joined-up script. Descriptions Ĭursive is a style of penmanship in which the symbols of the language are written in a conjoined and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster.

In some alphabets, many or all letters in a word are connected, sometimes making a word one single complex stroke.Ī study of grade school children in 2013 discovered that the speed of their cursive writing is the same as their print writing, regardless of which handwriting the child had learned first. Despite this belief, more elaborate or ornamental styles of writing can be slower to reproduce. The cursive method is used with many alphabets due to infrequent pen lifting and beliefs that it increases writing speed. The writing style can be further divided as 'looped', ' italic', or 'connected'. Formal cursive is generally joined, but casual cursive is a combination of joins and pen lifts. It varies in functionality and modern-day usage across languages and regions being used both publicly in artistic and formal documents as well as in private communication. For the rock band, see Cursive (band).Įxample of classic American business cursive handwriting known as Spencerian script, from 1884Ĭursive is any style of penmanship in which characters are written joined in a flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster, in contrast to block letters. For the style of typeface, see Italic type. For the Chinese cursive handwriting in calligraphy, see Cursive script (East Asia).

Word cursive font