Who invented script handwriting

How much of that can you read? Not much, huh? Secretary script, or a variant of it, is how he learned to write. Advances in Cursive Script The lack of uniformity in handwriting was clear for all to see. This led to the rise of English Roundhand, a type of cursive which spawned many imitators, and a style which is still popular today. This all came about because of the frustration of French court officials in the 17th century — after all — you try and read important legal documents handwritten in six or more different styles of cursive!

This became so intolerable that they demanded something be done about it! This led to the Controller-General of Finances in France, at the time — Jean-Baptiste Colbert — to decree that from then on, only three types of handwriting were to be used in legal documents! Probably much to the relief of everybody around him.

This is probably the first instance of a uniform cursive script being spread around a given population. Here, we can see a variation of French Ronde script. Still elaborate, but much easier to read! Or at least, much more-so than the cramped Secretary Script that preceded it in the s. Curly letter-shapes were artistic, but also easily recognisable, making handwritten documents much easier to read.

It was the first style of cursive handwriting really designed to improve both the speed of the writer, and the legibility of what was written, for the reader. Texts like the American Declaration of Independence were first handwritten in Roundhand.

Writing Enters the Machine Age The invention of the electric telegraph in the s and 40s, and the rise of steam-powered technology such as trains and steamships meant that correspondence started to grow rapidly. For the first time in history, efficient postal-systems allowed letters and documents to be spirited around the world in hours or days, instead of weeks, or even months, just a generation before.

This led to further improvements and refinements to the art of cursive handwriting. One of the biggest developments in the history of cursive script happened during this time — the arrival of Spencerian.

Spencerian, developed by American teacher Platt Rogers-Spencer, was, like most scripts which preceded it — a rounded cursive script, designed to be neat, fast, and legible. To make handwriting easier and faster, Mr. Spencer looked through various examples of previous styles of handwriting to see what he wished to keep and what he desired to discard. His aim was to have a script that was both fast to write, but neat to read.

To this end, he largely eliminated most of the excessive curls, swirls and flourishes found in earlier handwriting styles, such as English Roundhand. Spencer recognised that business was starting to grow, and aimed his new style of writing at businesspeople and others in professional occupations, as a type of cursive which anybody could understand, and to ensure this, he simplified it a great deal. While still fairly elaborate, it is uniform, neat and quite legible to modern eyes, barring a few stylistic changes between then and now.

Spencerian script remained de-rigeur in much of the English-speaking world for the better part of a hundred years and lasting well into the 20th century, only dying out with the rise of typewriters in the mids. Before then, it was held up as a prime example of neat, professional cursive handwriting. One of the most famous examples of Spencerian script still seen emblazoned upon millions of cans and bottles all over the world today is the Coca Cola logo!

Designed by bookkeeper Frank Mason Robinson in , the logo is simply a variation of his own Spencerian handwriting — and has remained virtually unchanged for over years! The Palmer Method of Writing Efforts to improve cursive script continued throughout the s, and by the s and 90s, a new script had emerged: The Palmer Script.

Like Roundhand and Spencerian which preceded it, Palmer was an attempt to cut down on needless frivolity and improve legibility. Letters began to flow together to save time and space on parchment. This was the earliest sign of lowercase letter forms, with ascenders, descenders and ligatures between the letters. By now, Christianity was the official religion throughout the empire, and Bibles were copied and distributed to the extent allowed by the limitations of producing each one by hand.

Patrick brought a Bible with him to Ireland, and the Irish began producing their own elaborately designed Bibles. The Celtic style of lettering involved writing the letters within 1-inch square guides, and were known as uncials.

Around AD , smaller half-uncials appeared, which closely resembled our modern lowercase letters. The letters were very rounded in style, and ascenders and descenders were extended on the lowercase letters.

Also, word spacing was increased to improve readability. Large uncials were used at the beginning of sentences, and lowercase letters were now a uniform part of the Roman alphabet. This style developed into Romanesque hand, and later into the Gothic style in Germany, around AD. Gothic lettering was very thick, angular, and tightly set between letters and words, to save space.

The dot on the lowercase i was added to distinguish it from similar strokes in the m, n and u. Lettering styles continued to develop. There was a common script style in use for practical purposes, and a more precise, artistic hand lettering was used for important texts and books, with great care taken to write each letter.

In the 10th century, the letter u was created separately from the v, whereas previously the v was used for both sounds such as sirivs instead of sirius. The w was created in the 12th century to accommodate more European languages, where the v would not serve.

The j evolved from a modified i in the 15th century. This brought the Roman alphabet to 26 letters total. The technology advanced, and more upright letters were designed for printing. The development of copperplate engraving allowed for the use of very delicate type faces with many flourishes and curliques in the script-like letters, which greatly influenced handwriting.

Handwriting masters began to grow in number, to produce beautifully written documents. Elegant handwriting became a sign of social status. Are you familiar with cursive writing? If not, take a look at a handwritten document , such as the Declaration of Independence.

See how the letters are slanted and connected together? Writing experts say that some form of cursive writing has been around as long as writing itself. This style of writing is a natural way to make handwriting more efficient by connecting letters together. Writing a sentence in cursive is much faster and easier than writing the same sentence in print.

Our modern form of cursive writing is usually credited to 15th-century Italian Niccolo Niccoli. His unique script evolved over time into what we now call italics. However, forms of cursive writing had been in use long before. Some date back to the ancient Egyptians , Romans , and Greeks. In the 20th century, typewriters , word processors, and computers became common. As a result, less time was spent practicing penmanship.

Some states have stopped teaching it completely. Others have kept cursive instruction and even made it mandatory. Will cursive writing one day disappear forever? Does it matter? Should we care? Some educators believe we should care. They point to studies which suggest that writing by hand activates more areas of the brain than typing on a keyboard. Studies show that students who take notes by hand take in more information than those who type notes.

Some people even claim that handwriting text improves idea creation and vocabulary usage. Many people believe that it should still be taught in school. Some cite the need to be able to read handwritten documents. They also point to the need to sign your own name on important legal documents in the future. What do you think? Is cursive important? Do you know how to write in this way? As technology advances and becomes more widespread, cursive writing may or may not become a thing of the past.

Are you ready to write in cursive? Be sure to check out the following activities with a friend or family member:. Hi, Noah! Thanks for sharing! It sounds like you've worked really hard on your handwriting! Hi, Vivian! Do you like to practice writing in cursive? Do you ever sign documents like papers in school in cursive? Hi, Brianna! Thanks for sharing your connection to this Wonder. With a little more practice, you may find that you enjoy writing in cursive!