Jump to content

Menu

Does anybody else dislike the american style of cursive writing?


NatYoung17
 Share

Recommended Posts

I just started teaching my dd cursive and we use the Zaner Bloser handwriting books, but I just realized that I don't really like the American style of cursive...some letters seem really odd ( capital G, I and Z) and would be hard to read if they're not written perfectly neat...

Does anybody else feel that way? Or am I just weird like that?

I think I might just make her a sheet of European style cursive and have it laminated so she can trace it to practice....

Any thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm biased because I grew up in Germany. I find the American cursive way more complicated than necessary, especially G, I, Z, as OP mentioned.

I continue to write German cursive and never had an issue with somebody not being able to read it.

 

Great! Thanks! That's were I'm from! :001_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am an American and I have always thought American cursive was odd. My dh is from the UK. Italics make more sense to both of us. I just cannot find a good book here to teach it. Getty-Dubay and Beautiful Handwriting for Children are the only resources. I do not like either for many reasons. I have found BJU Cursive without cursive capitals to be a good blend. Still, loops on b, h, and k? A freaky looking r, s, and z? There is no escaping it. I am using educational fontware to make my own books. I like New South Wales but it does something freaky to the lowercase letter f making it look like a stretched out American cursive lowercase f if it is in the middle of a word.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like New South Wales but it does something freaky to the lowercase letter f making it look like a stretched out American cursive lowercase f if it is in the middle of a word.

 

What exactly do you mean? I put the lowercase 'f' in the middle of a word and it looks normal to me.

post-13035-13535086205403_thumb.jpg

post-13035-13535086205403_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Full list of handwriting fonts, incl. French styles, here.

 

I'm so grateful for this link! We ended up starting to use Learning Curve last week and already this week it is like a miracle has happened with my daughter's penmanship.

 

When she first started script, we used the Swiss/Geneve method (not sure if all Swiss use the same) which is something like Zaner Bloser....but she just could not write very fast, and the older she got, the sloppier her handwriting got. We tried another method of cursive writing...still the same.

 

I got out a copy of my handwriting from high school and saw how neat it was (it has since deteriorated after I decided to have a more unique handwriting in college - following some artsy friend's handwriting :))....But on some days, I'll occasionally revert back to that old way, and people can 'read' my handwriting...So I thought that maybe that old way wasn't so bad after all....it is similar to Learning Curve...

 

Anyway, dd wrote a small letter today and it was just amazing to see the difference.

 

Thanks again,

Joan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe we have to always keep in mind which is the real purpose of cursive writing in out times... To me, it is a question of hand-brain coordination and the development of fine motor skills, with the side benefit of producing something pleasing to the eye. It should not be a painful experience. If another style of cursive simplifies the outcome, why not?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I am using a free resource for handwriting from Sound Foundations (the people who do Apples and Pears). If you go to their website and to 'Free Downloads' you should find the handwriting resources there. It takes children from learning to write single letters through to cursive. I personally like the style.

 

http://www.soundfoundationsbooks.co.uk/

 

Hope that is helpful for some.

 

Emma x

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But that "p" doesn't look so different from the one in the Getty-Dubay italic or the D'Nealian cursive. Take a look here.

? I'm looking at it, and it only seems to substantiate my point -- which is, that the European style looks totally different! :lol:

 

The "p" has a closed loop on the bottom. I don't see Americans write an open sort of "p," only Europeans, and I am not crazy about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm biased because I grew up in Germany. I find the American cursive way more complicated than necessary, especially G, I, Z, as OP mentioned.

I continue to write German cursive and never had an issue with somebody not being able to read it.

 

I learned to write here, but simply changed the letters I didn't like (G, upper case S & Z) to something simpler.

 

My grandmother had a fabulous German script, but I think it was very old & don't know where to find it. She learned it growing up in the Russian speaking part of the Ukraine, so it's possible it was either from the late 18th century or a Mennonite adaption of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

? I'm looking at it, and it only seems to substantiate my point -- which is, that the European style looks totally different! :lol:

 

The "p" has a closed loop on the bottom. I don't see Americans write an open sort of "p," only Europeans, and I am not crazy about it.

 

Well, I guess I see this differently. :001_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Guest NoelleBuckner

I have my own unique style of writing cursive, but I have nothing against typical American cursive as well, my son coped very well with it at an early age. Nevertheless, I know many grown ups (among native Americans!) who cannot handle it and still use print letters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
I also dislike the strange 'G' and 'Q' of American cursive.

 

Look at these two handwriting fonts: UlusalOkul.Com Çizgili and Schulschriften (traditional and simplified).

 

Full list of handwriting fonts, incl. French styles, here.

 

I feel like an idiot, but...

How do you use the (e.g. Schulschriften) fonts to make up handwriting pages? Tracing? Is there a way to make the lines go away?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
Guest miakelly

I don't even think they are teaching traditional American cursive in the public schools in America anymore. They have gone to what they call "Contemporary cursive" (google it). I was trained as a child in the traditional cursive, and my own kids can't read my handwriting. Needless to say, I'm printing a lot more these days!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...