# Do we write and read left to right because of dominant right-handedness? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021 "2006-08-09T16:44:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/1 "2006-08-09T16:44:59Z")
As I found myself admiring The bosom-like wave of poetry Gracefully tumbling down the page, I began to wonder- Why it is common for people to write From the left side to right? I presume it to be correlated- With, (from what I have witnessed), The majority of people being right handed; This would make the top left hand corner of the page The most natural place to go. Are left to right writing cultures mostly left-handed? ---
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/2 "2006-08-09T16:46:06Z")
> [@MessyPaint](#): > > Are left to right writing cultures mostly left-handed? \*right to left ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/3 "2006-08-09T16:57:59Z")
Actually, among one very large society of people who write right to left, left-handedness has been traditionally forbidden. Arabic is written right-to-left (as is Hebrew) and a number of Arabic-speaking societies condsider a whole slew of activities to be either insulting or taboo when perfomed with the left hand. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/4 "2006-08-09T16:59:53Z")
(As far as I know, right-handedness is far and away more prevalent than left-handedness and ambidexterity in every human population.) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/5 "2006-08-09T17:06:56Z")
Another problem with this theory…what about the Japanese who go _top to bottom_, and (IIRC) right to left? It’s an interesting question. I might instead wonder if writing media play a significant part. If you use ink, which takes a few moments to dry, then you’ll want your right hand to hover over the clean part of the paper so as not to smudge your fresh ink–you’re going left to right in that case. if you’re using a non-smudging medium, then right to left becomes a viable option and can be expected to be chosen about half the time. Was it the Romans who went left to right, and then right to left on the next line, and then left to right on the next line…etc to produce an unbroken track? or did I make that up? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/6 "2006-08-09T17:26:01Z")
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs could be written left to right, right to left, and top to bottom (don’t remember if there were any bottom to top). ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/7 "2006-08-09T17:26:18Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Was it the Romans who went left to right, and then right to left on the next line, and then left to right on the next line…etc to produce an unbroken track? or did I make that up? According to the Perfect Master, that was the [Greeks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_101.html) ---
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/8 "2006-08-09T17:47:42Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > I might instead wonder if writing media play a significant part. If you use ink, which takes a few moments to dry, then you’ll want your right hand to hover over the clean part of the paper so as not to smudge your fresh ink–you’re going left to right in that case. if you’re using a non-smudging medium, then right to left becomes a viable option and can be expected to be chosen about half the time. I hadn’t thought of that, the ink smudging; it seems like it would play a significant part. Do any left handed people find themselves needing to compensate in order to avoid ink smudging? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/9 "2006-08-09T18:07:57Z")
It is most probably an effect rather than cause of overall left-to-right order, but it strikes me that many roman alphabet letters are more easily written starting at the left and moving right. R, r, P, B, D, E, e, F, f, K,k, maybe C and c, and probably others. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/10 "2006-08-09T18:13:48Z")
> [@MessyPaint](#): > > Do any left handed people find themselves needing to compensate in order to avoid ink smudging? Seems to be a [market](http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/acatalog/non_smudge_colorball.html). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/11 "2006-08-09T19:12:54Z")
> [@](#): > > It is most probably an effect rather than cause of overall left-to-right order, but it strikes me that many roman alphabet letters are more easily written starting at the left and moving right. R, r, P, B, D, E, e, F, f, K,k, maybe C and c, and probably others. Or maybe that’s just a consequence of the way you learned and practiced them? But C seems to be a bad example, because pretty much the only way to write it is to go from right to right, as it were. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/12 "2006-08-09T21:29:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Or maybe that’s just a consequence of the way you learned and practiced them? But C seems to be a bad example, because pretty much the only way to write it is to go from right to right, as it were. I did say ‘maybe’ C. But I do think most of the other letters are, at least as currently formed, inherently easier to write starting from the left. Most of them have a single vertical stroke on the left edge, with various other strokes attaching, in ways that would be difficult to do if the other strokes were written first. I mean, I do write my ‘M’ starting from the left, but it would be just as easy to start from the right. But starting an ‘F’ with the (right-side) horizontal strokes would be more difficult, if I wanted to have neat intersections in the final product. Again, I think this is probably more due to the culture’s left-to-right system leading to standardizing on these particular shapes than vice versa. If a culture decided to write right to left using the current roman alphabet, I have no doubt the shapes would gradually shift to make it easier to write. For instance, I bet the ‘F’ would begin to look like the ‘f’, with the middle horizontal stroke crossing the vertical stroke (much easier to start right on the vertical stroke than end exactly on it.) ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/13 "2006-08-09T21:43:40Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > It is most probably an effect rather than cause of overall left-to-right order, but it strikes me that many roman alphabet letters are more easily written starting at the left and moving right. R, r, P, B, D, E, e, F, f, K,k, maybe C and c, and probably others. If you can write those using a few certain strokes of the pen, how is it harder to do in reverse? ---
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/14 "2006-08-09T21:54:03Z")
I dont think it would be _that_ much more difficult to write them in reverse, however those kinds of letter do seem to adhere to the flow of right handbwriting. Especially regarding the point of the “F” beginning on the right side; it would likely drift over as [s]he was saying… Most, (all capitals, exceptions in lower case), letters with a beggining base of " | " continue their finishes toward the direction of which the writing will continue… B D E F H K L M N P R U b h k m n p ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/15 "2006-08-09T22:01:29Z")
I offer the following, which illustrates boustrophedon (Greek for as an oz plows) that was used in the earliest days of writing (but not, AFIK for Greek) and one other way. This is an example in detnirp txet fo the style which was ylrae eht ni desu ylnommoc days of writing but not much now .nodehportsuob sa nwonk And here is an example of rarely used way of writing the earliest days of writing, eorm na ni detnirp txet ni neve ,desu reven dna .nodehportinobmaz sa nwonk ---
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/16 "2006-08-10T03:44:14Z")
> [@Hari Seldon](#): > > I offer the following, which illustrates boustrophedon (Greek for as an oz plows) that was used in the earliest days of writing (but not, AFIK for Greek) and one other way. > > This is an example > in detnirp txet fo > the style which was > ylrae eht ni desu ylnommoc > days of writing but not much now > .nodehportsuob sa nwonk > > And here is an example of > rarely used way of writing > the earliest days of writing, > eorm na ni detnirp txet > ni neve ,desu reven dna > .nodehportinobmaz sa nwonk Hi Hari Seldon, I dont understand. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/17 "2006-08-10T04:10:12Z")
> [@MessyPaint](#): > > Hi Hari Seldon, > > I dont understand. The second sample, in the “zambonitrophedon” style, should be read alternating between the forward and backwards line, so that you read 1 forwards, 4 backwards, 2 forwards, 5 backwards, etc. I believe it was invented (though never used) in one of the more northerly Greek cities. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/18 "2006-08-10T04:15:18Z")
> [@MessyPaint](#): > > I dont understand. The second sentence is a joke. While the first sentence is, indeed, an example of boustrophedon, in which each line “begins” at the same end of the line as the preceding line ended, in the manner of an ox plowing a field, the second sentence is written in the manner of a drunk mowing his lawn on a riding tractor with a poor turning radius (or, as noted, by an ice-curing machine at a rink). (The text on the right portrays the line (reading from right to left) in a manner more intelligible to a person who can only read English left to right.) First sentence: ```auto This is an example in detnirp txet fo of text printed ni [sic] the style which was ylrae eht ni desu ylnommoc commonly used in the early days of writing but not much now .nodehportsuob sa nwonk known as boustrophedon. ``` Second sentence (the lines are numbered in the order in which they should be read): ```auto 1 And here is an example of 3 rarely used way of writing 5 the earliest days of writing, 2 eorm na ni detnirp txet text printed in an mroe [sic] 4 ni neve ,desu reven dna and never used, even in 6 .nodehportinobmaz sa nwonk known as zambonitrophedon. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/19 "2006-08-10T07:51:03Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Another problem with this theory…what about the Japanese who go _top to bottom_, and (IIRC) right to left? > > It’s an interesting question. I might instead wonder if writing media play a significant part. If you use ink, which takes a few moments to dry, then you’ll want your right hand to hover over the clean part of the paper so as not to smudge your fresh ink–you’re going left to right in that case. if you’re using a non-smudging medium, then right to left becomes a viable option and can be expected to be chosen about half the time. Except that the Japanese write using ink, albeit in a way that doesn’t allow the hand to drag on the paper. There are ways to write that might seem awkward to the way most of us write, but actually work just as well. The hand-dragging-on-paper style is actually fairly easy to avoid, depending on what style of pen/stylus you’re using. > [@](#): > > Was it the Romans who went left to right, and then right to left on the next line, and then left to right on the next line…etc to produce an unbroken track? or did I make that up? The Romans wrote with little regard to line breaks and spaces, sometimes cutting of words in the middle because they ran out of room and had to go to the next line. It carried on for quite a few centuries. For example, “Now is the time for every man to come to the aid of his country,” might be rendered thusly: NOWISTHETIMEFOR EVERYMANTOCOMET OTHEAIDOFHISCOU NTRY. . . . only they’d probably arrange it so there wasn’t so much blank space at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021/20 "2006-08-10T08:29:43Z")
> [@MessyPaint](#): > > I dont think it would be _that_ much more difficult to write them in reverse, however those kinds of letter do seem to adhere to the flow of right handbwriting. Especially regarding the point of the “F” beginning on the right side; it would likely drift over as [s]he was saying… > > Most, (all capitals, exceptions in lower case), letters with a beggining base of " | " continue their finishes toward the direction of which the writing will continue… > > B D E F H K L M N P R U > b h k m n p There are actually some calligraphic hands\* that call for the formation of the rounds of the letters before the uprights. For example, in italic miniscule (lowercase italic), the b is formed by making the top of the round, the upright, and then finishing with the bottom of the round. It seems unlikely that something with crossbars would be formed crossbars then uprights, but the more curved letters? Forget it. There’s no real order in which a letter must be formed. All it takes is a steady hand and practice, and you can be crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s before you even make them. Most of the handwriting styles used today encourage forming the letters as you’ve stated, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they were always formed that way. There have been reforms of handwriting multiple times in the twentieth century, for various social reasons. Hands fell in and out of favor over the years. The point is, it’s very difficult to conjecture past forms based on current handwriting styles. For example, modern handwriting is based more on printed letters (as in printing press) than on handwriting styles. \*Of course, we have to keep in mind that these are conjectured forms, and there’s no telling how the people who originally formed them did so. Calligraphic hands were restructured in the late-nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth centuries, based on forms already in use at that time, which were in turn influenced by fonts used in the printing process. See? It’s a big crazy mess. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-write-and-read-left-to-right-because-of-dominant-right-handedness/368021.md?page=2)