# Cursive?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cursive/87467
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 15, 2001, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cursive/87467 "2001-10-15T09:11:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dewpickedfrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dewpickedfrog)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2001, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cursive/87467/1 "2001-10-15T09:11:10Z")
Hi, folkieos!
It’s me: Asker Of Dumb Questions!
I was just doodling recently, and I wondered, “Where did cursive writing come from?”
I mean, I’ve come across instances where people talk about cursive examples of non-English languages-- so it must not be an English thing.
What’s the what? Who decided what was a cursive example of a letter and what was just scribbling?
And who were those Palmer people, back in the day?
heart
dewpickedfrog
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### Author:  [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2001, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cursive/87467/2 "2001-10-15T11:11:35Z")
To my understanding, Cursive is just the consequence of writing fast - with the “joiny-uppie” bits being where the pen/quill drags across the page…
[This site](http://saturn.sron.nl/~jheise/akkadian/cuneiform.html) seems to agree as far as numbers were concerned:
> [@](#):
>
> Numbers were given as simple strokes: one stroke for ‘one’, two strokes for ‘two’ etc. Note that the same is true for our currentthe symbols for the number 1, 2 and 3. The writing of the number 2 is merely two horizontal strokes, in cursive writing written with ‘pen down’ in between. Our symbol for the number 3 developed from three horizontal strokes on top of each other in cursive writing.
But I stand to be corrected.
Gp
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### Author:  [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2001, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cursive/87467/3 "2001-10-15T11:14:46Z")
Another site that supports this assertation
> [@](#):
>
> They are also characterized as “cursive,” having a rounded, flowing quality that comes with writing speedily.
From [Scribeworx](http://scribeworx.tripod.com/history.html)
Gp
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2001, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cursive/87467/4 "2001-10-15T17:51:32Z")
Duplicate thread. See [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=93100](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=93100)