# How important is cursive handwriting?; or, suck it, Miss Henderson! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035 "2005-11-14T19:30:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/21 "2005-11-14T21:10:39Z")
I never use it (except for my signature, but I wouldn’t call that writing, since you should be able to read writing) but it’s still useful to know, so you can read it. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/22 "2005-11-14T21:21:12Z")
I was told the same thing in elementry school as a kid. I never did learn cursive well, and it looks like it doesn’t matter anyway. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/23 "2005-11-14T21:27:22Z")
Maybe it’s just cos I’m a calligraphy geek, but all of my daily writing I do in cursive italic. With the multiple pages of notes I have to take in class every day, there’s no way I’d get through it with my wrist intact if I had to lift my pen after every letter. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/24 "2005-11-14T21:32:30Z")
Oh, the cursive script taught in schools was based on the Copperplate script. The easiest way to show how ridiculous it is for ordinary use is to ask you to write something in all caps using the script. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/25 "2005-11-14T21:33:49Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > BTW: “Cursive” is a misnomer, really. Cursive writing is technically handwriting in which the letters don’t connect up. I think you’re wrong. This is the definition I find: > [@](#): > > cursive > > adj : having successive letter joined together; “cursive script” n : rapid handwriting in which letters are set down in full and cursively connected within words without lifting the writing implement from the paper [syn: longhand, running hand, cursive script] I use cursive for everything I possibly can. I’d post in it if I could. After reading several threads on the subject over the years, I have realized that vast swaths of the American public can’t even read cursive, and I love the idea that the pogue who finds my grocery list _won’t be able to read it_. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/26 "2005-11-14T21:40:03Z")
> [@bluethree](#): > > … > I use cursive for everything I possibly can. I’d post in it if I could. After reading several threads on the subject over the years, I have realized that vast swaths of the American public can’t even read cursive, and I love the idea that the pogue who finds my grocery list _won’t be able to read it_. Wow, what are you a terrorist? 😉 Why would you care about your shopping list? 😕 Besides most adults can read it, just few write in it anymore. Jim ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/27 "2005-11-14T21:45:26Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Wow, what are you a terrorist? 😉 Why would you care about your shopping list? 😕 > Besides most adults can read it, just few write in it anymore. > > Jim I am just kidding by the way. I reread and decided that may not be obvious as it was not very funny. (Sometimes the best post is the post you don’t make) ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/28 "2005-11-14T22:14:33Z")
Here in Sweden I was told the same thing. We all hated writing in cursive, and we were forced to do it for six years. The moment we didn’t have to anymore, we all stopped. My signature is the only place I use cursive. The question is _why_ we were told this lie, all over the world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a grown-up write in cursive. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/29 "2005-11-14T22:41:06Z")
Cursive is for grown-ups to use when they don’t want children younger than 10 or so to be able to read what they’ve written. I never use cursive except for my signature. I don’t know if my little brother (now in 6th grade) learned to write in cursive, but he has severe learning disabilities involving his writing, so even if he can’t write it, he can read it (assuming his class was taught it). ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/30 "2005-11-14T23:47:09Z")
:eek: I can’t believe that someone would be unable to read cursive handwriting. I have very firm memories of having to learn it. Especially lefthanded as I am. As it is, my handwriting’s no longer as italicized or (dare I say it) letter-perfect as it once was. It’s more of a scribble with some breaks in the line – for example, I don’t loop my 'L’s or 'T’s, and 'F’s bear some resemblance to the ancient and hallowed ‘long esses’ that one sees in centuries old documents. And capital letters are generally printed. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/31 "2005-11-14T23:58:10Z")
I haven’t used cursive since the mid 1950s, except for my signature and even I can’t read that. My father was one of the maybe five people I ever knew who wrote in cursive exclusively. His handwriting was very easy to read; it looked like it was done by machine. In later years, he admitted that it had never done him the least bit of good—he hinted that many people were turned off by it because they couldn’t match it. That part was certainly true of me. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/32 "2005-11-15T00:05:55Z")
I tend to make work notes with a mix of cursive and print. However, I have found one cool thing. If I want to take really fast notes, I can form the first letter of each word and then just make what seem to me to be random scribbles after that. I have never made it so messy that I can’t read but other people don’t stand a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/33 "2005-11-15T01:02:47Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Wow, what are you a terrorist? 😉 Why would you care about your shopping list? 😕 > Besides most adults can read it, just few write in it anymore. > > Jim Funny you should say that; your mind must work similar to how mine works. I was thinking of a few months back when a flight got delayed or cancelled because somebody found a few scribbles of Farsi in the margins of a magazine on a plane and thought it must be the work of a terrorist. I think it’s not that farfetched that some young American might mistake cursive English for wild terrorist scribbles. On another note, I think I’ll definitely write my will in cursive. Leave my heirs scratching their heads in dismay, hehe. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/34 "2005-11-15T01:22:10Z")
> [@bluethree](#): > > I think it’s not that farfetched that some young American might mistake cursive English for wild terrorist scribbles. Yeah it is. I see a couple hundred writing samples by different children on a a daily basis, and about 1/2 of the kids over 2nd grade, but less than high school age write their essays in cursive; most in terrible, terrible cursive. (after 8th grade they mostly print, as is good and right.) I assume most of the rest can write in cursive too, but don’t because they’re not forced to on their tests. Given that the kids come from all over the country, and they all have about the same instances of horrible cursive, it’s fair to say that the fight to rid the schools of it is far from over. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/35 "2005-11-15T02:06:10Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > Here in Sweden I was told the same thing. We all hated writing in cursive, and we were forced to do it for six years. The moment we didn’t have to anymore, we all stopped. My signature is the only place I use cursive. > > The question is _why_ we were told this lie, all over the world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a grown-up write in cursive. Not all over the world. In France, everybody writes in cursive (well actually I’ve seen some exceptions. But we aren’t taught writing in print). I keep all the letters, postcards, etc… I receive, and I doubt I could find more than a couple in the pile not written in cursive. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/36 "2005-11-15T02:07:41Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Not all over the world. In France, everybody writes in cursive (well actually I’ve seen some exceptions. But we aren’t taught writing in print). I keep all the letters, postcards, etc… I receive, and I doubt I could find more than a couple in the pile not written in cursive. Doesn’t France also have laws to keep their language artificially unchanged? Is this really a good example? Jim ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/37 "2005-11-15T02:46:07Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > The question is _why_ we were told this lie, all over the world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a grown-up write in cursive. Well, when I was little, most grownups seemed to write in cursive. That was before we all had multiple personal computers and PDAs, and no, I’m not that old. I can forgive my 3rd grade teacher guessing wrong about whether I was more likely to need to be able to write legibly or type quickly. There are many other things I can’t forgive her for. But that was an honest mistake. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/38 "2005-11-15T02:50:08Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Doesn’t France also have laws to keep their language artificially unchanged? > > Is this really a good example? > > Jim Nope, there aren’t such laws. That’s a belief based on a mix-up between recommandations made by the “Academie Francaise” and laws applying to official documents. But anyway, it wouldn’t change a thing. People are taught to write in cursive, and other people write in cursive so they write in cursive too. They’re never taught to write in print, so they never write in print. That’s just how things are done, a tradition, whatever… I don’t see why an evolution towards print would be expected. Writing in cursive isn’t anymore artificial than writing in print. So I don’t see why you’d relate it to laws “keeping the language artificially unchanged”. Language evolve, but I can’t see people spontaneously changing the way they write, and switching suddenly from cursive to print if there wasn’t a lawmaker artificially preventing them from doing so. Why and when did the USA (or Sweden for that matter) switched to print? I understand that american people used to write in cursive, so I would assume it took someone deciding that from now on, kids would be taught print instead or besides cursive, and encouraged to use it (When I think about it, IOW, it seems to me that the artificial move coming from above you seem to suspect in the case of France actually happened in the US). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/39 "2005-11-15T02:55:53Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Nope, there aren’t such laws. That’s a belief based on a mix-up between recommandations made by the “Academie Francaise” and laws applying to official documents. > But anyway, it wouldn’t change a thing. People are taught to write in cursive, and other people write in cursive so they write in cursive too. They’re never taught to write in print, so they never write in print. That’s just how things are done, a tradition, whatever… I don’t see why an evolution towards print would be expected. Writing in cursive isn’t anymore artificial than writing in print. So I don’t see why you’d relate it to laws “keeping the language artificially unchanged”. Language evolve, but I can’t see people spontaneously changing the way they write, and switching suddenly from cursive to print if there wasn’t a lawmaker artificially preventing them from doing so. > Why and when did the USA (or Sweden for that matter) switched to print? I understand that american people used to write in cursive, so I would assume it took someone deciding that from now on, kids would be taught print instead or besides cursive, and encouraged to use it (When I think about it, IOW, it seems to me that the artificial move coming from above you seem to suspect in the case of France actually happened in the US). It has a lot to do with technology. Typewriters and computers are basically print rather than script ot cursive. I am glad I was wrong about France not trying to artificially keep their language pure. Sounded rather frightning. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035/40 "2005-11-15T02:58:13Z")
> [@YaWanna](#): > > **Harmonious Discord** makes a good point. I mentioned in the linked thread above that a 20-something girl had told me they don’t teach it in school any more. The context for her telling me that was that she brought me something written (in cursive) by one of my over-55 cow-orkers, and asked me what it said - she couldn’t read it! > > Now, I don’t like cursive much - never did - but one should at least be able to decipher the writing as a basic skill, at least until all the old codgers who were forced to learn it die off. Or if one is going to study history and related fields, I suppose. Are you… _sure_… that if you don’t know cursive you can’t read it? I remember always being able to read cursive, I just couldn’t write it until they taught me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-cursive-handwriting-or-suck-it-miss-henderson/331035.md?page=3)