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Xolodno

(6,787 posts)

46. I had to learn cursive....

Thu Dec 26, 2024, 04:23 PM

Dec 26

...and at my age, forgot how to write it. Think I still can read it, but never had to, all my work is numbers first then print. I even used to know Russian cursive, I can tell you that this point, I could probably make out some of the letters, the rest, no so much. Cursive was used as a fast way to write before typewriters and now keyboards.

Times change and we have to change with them. The Russian I know is over a century old (when we got exiled by the Tsar). I worked with people who were from Russia and sometimes I would say something and they looked at me funny. That's when I say "I did it again, didn't I". They would respond and say yes and laugh. To them I was basically speaking the king's English. But hey, I learned the modern version. In about a century the language we use now will be considered old. Just the way it is, we just don't evolve, so does culture, language, customs, etc.

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If a person cannot read or write cursive, are they "functionally illiterate?" [View all] PeaceWave Dec 26 OP

No, and sigh: 'not this shit again'. Voltaire2 Dec 26 #1

𝒮𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑜? mahatmakanejeeves Dec 26 #5

not actually cursive, 'cursive like'. Voltaire2 Dec 26 #7

If I wrote it in my own handwriting, no one could read it. mahatmakanejeeves Dec 26 #14

I can't read mine. multigraincracker Dec 26 #26

" If I wrote it in my own handwriting" - ok, Dr. Mahatmakanejeeves FSogol Dec 26 #47

I am getting Rebl2 Dec 26 #63

Not their fault Conjuay Dec 28 #158

Agree with Voltaire 2 indigovalley Dec 26 #16

Or people could learn the skill SheltieLover Dec 26 #24

but why? It isn't required for any practical skills. Voltaire2 Dec 26 #38

Pls see post 15 & 21 below SheltieLover Dec 26 #41

Many other things make that connection and are much more practical JCMach1 Dec 26 #79

There is no excuse for relinquishing any common form of communication SheltieLover Dec 26 #82

Do you do calligraphy? Long math? Use a slide rule? JCMach1 Dec 27 #83

Those are obviously not common forms of communication SheltieLover Dec 27 #84

Can you read Middle English? What about Old English? JCMach1 Dec 27 #86

Pls see posts #15 & 21 SheltieLover Dec 27 #87

Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 27 #90

Language literacy and grammar evolve JCMach1 Dec 27 #96

That's just it: it is no longer a "common form of communication" NickB79 Dec 27 #97

Clearly it is or these employees wouldn't be fired. jimfields33 Dec 27 #120

Exactly Betty Boom Dec 27 #124

Why? Ms. Toad Dec 26 #43

very good point. raccoon Dec 27 #91

It is required in Germany. Conjuay Dec 28 #160

Yes, to be licensed to drive a manual, but you can take the test in an automatic car. You will have an 'auto only' code Celerity Dec 28 #163

+9999 krawhitham Dec 26 #18

My daugher is 16 DeepWinter Dec 26 #27

I always saw it as a creative opportunity TexasBushwhacker Dec 27 #119

When I learned cursive it was the opposite of a creative opportunity. Mariana Dec 27 #132

As well as pencils to that same degree. Torchlight Dec 26 #61

So much shit is being thrown to the wayside by the new generation. William769 Dec 27 #95

Their schools and their teachers failed them by not teaching cursive in grade school FakeNoose Dec 27 #112

Because they were too busy paying for year round DenaliDemocrat Dec 29 #178

Well said. Captain Stern Dec 27 #113

You called it. ThreeNoSeep Dec 27 #114

It's clearly not Betty Boom Dec 27 #122

Nope. Most historical documents are in cursive DenaliDemocrat Dec 29 #176

That's a tough one. I think it will, if it hasn't already, become a 'specialized' skill. Joinfortmill Dec 26 #2

handwriting need not be 'cursive'. Voltaire2 Dec 26 #8

I believe in this conversation we are discussing cursive. Joinfortmill Dec 26 #19

That's hand printing, not hand writing. Conjuay Dec 28 #161

Handwriting is any writing done by hand, whether it's lettered or cursive. Mariana Dec 28 #172

Yes! "Handwriting" is also what MY schools called it! raging moderate Dec 29 #179

Slight correction Betty Boom Dec 27 #121

This needs to be underscored. Displayed prominently on the web page is: JHB Dec 28 #142

Not all cursive is the same. padfun Dec 26 #3

Put cursive back in schools. Problem solved. jimfields33 Dec 26 #4

90 days? Thats funny.. getagrip_already Dec 26 #34

Maybe you're right. jimfields33 Dec 26 #35

Better to solve the problem by teaching an actual useful skill Orrex Dec 27 #117

I could see not writing it but seriously, how hard is it to decipher your own language? It's not cuneiform ffs Blues Heron Dec 26 #6

Depends on the chicken scratch you are trying to decipher krawhitham Dec 26 #20

Yup. Ms. Toad Dec 26 #77

Partly claudette Dec 26 #9

I have been reading/writing cursive for most of my life The Madcap Dec 26 #10

No being able to read cursive writing isn't an handicap LogDog75 Dec 26 #11

That makes too much sense. Haggard Celine Dec 27 #129

In 2024, no. RockRaven Dec 26 #12

But shorthand was never universal among literate people SheltieLover Dec 26 #23

I haven't needed that function for a looooong time. Iggo Dec 26 #13

Errors can be deadly... (or at least lead to massive liability--even for an accounting firm but more so elsewhere) hlthe2b Dec 26 #15

Concur with this Sympthsical Dec 26 #22

The failure to understand by so many on this thread, to use their imagination as to where hlthe2b Dec 26 #29

I'm with you SheltieLover Dec 26 #44

Alternatively is there a reason that those places that still use cursive actually use it or is it a relic? EdmondDantes_ Dec 26 #50

I wrote here and in great detail upstream why this is not the case now. Given you refuse to read hlthe2b Dec 26 #51

Speaking for myself, it's not that we don't understand, we just don't agree. Emrys Dec 26 #62

Why should an entire office abandon using cursive just because a new employee isn't able to read it? n/t MichMan Dec 26 #71

Because it could save lives? That seems a good enough reason to me. Emrys Dec 26 #75

If the computer system Karma13612 Dec 28 #137

Maybe there's a good reason why organizations distributing hard-copy forms to be filled out Emrys Dec 28 #144

Thank you! Agree 100%- eom Karma13612 Dec 27 #131

Absolutely! SheltieLover Dec 26 #45

The problem was that some idiot thought that writing a note in cursive... hunter Dec 27 #88

way to TOTALLY miss the point. hlthe2b Dec 27 #92

Thank you!!!! Betty Boom Dec 27 #125

The last time I was in the E.R. the doctor was accompanied by a medical scribe... hunter Dec 28 #150

AGAIN! You TOTALLY MISS THE POINT. Of course hospitals are computerized at every turn. But that hlthe2b Dec 28 #151

To be clear, I actually *can* read and write cursive. hunter Dec 28 #162

What kind of a hospital uses cursive for warning labels? ThreeNoSeep Dec 27 #105

I get that you have no clue that hospitals have records that include scanned notes, as does their pharmacy hlthe2b Dec 27 #106

When the debate opponent puts words in your mouth or makes assumptions about your past ThreeNoSeep Dec 27 #110

Again, you show you have no clue about what several of us are speaking to in medicine hlthe2b Dec 27 #111

Can I just say... Betty Boom Dec 27 #128

What you "think" doesn't make it true... appmanga Dec 27 #108

It is not merely what I think. It is fact and 24 states thus far are putting cursive back in educational hlthe2b Dec 27 #109

I am relieved to Karma13612 Dec 28 #141

Glad to hear it is being included again! SheltieLover Dec 28 #152

Thank you for this Betty Boom Dec 27 #126

Bravo!!!!! Karma13612 Dec 27 #133

Another great point you make! SheltieLover Dec 28 #153

Lockout/tagout was standard procedure decades ago where I worked Mariana Dec 28 #135

Certainly not canetoad Dec 26 #17

Depends on the job, but geneally I'd say yes. SheltieLover Dec 26 #21

One more instance of the disdain people have for preceding generations. Everone should be taught to READ cursive. LAS14 Dec 26 #25

No... Mike Nelson Dec 26 #28

LOL Prairie Gates Dec 26 #30

My Take ProfessorGAC Dec 26 #31

As evidenced by your students, the bulk of it ought to be decipherable... consider_this Dec 26 #59

Had A Thought ProfessorGAC Dec 26 #65

I quite like your idea, especially... consider_this Dec 26 #80

no. BlueWaveNeverEnd Dec 26 #32

Late boomer here. I haven't written in true cursive since college exams the 1980s. Eugene Dec 26 #33

Me neither. Mike 03 Dec 26 #37

The test shouldn't be "can I read this person's handwriting" Mike 03 Dec 26 #36

I suppose I could have written software in cursive. Voltaire2 Dec 26 #42

If reading cursive was a job requirement, it.should have been stated as such clearly and up-front 0rganism Dec 26 #39

There are dozens of job duties for nearly every job that aren't specifically mentioned in job requirements MichMan Dec 26 #52

So you're comparing not reading cursive to showing up drunk and swearing at customers? 0rganism Dec 26 #66

I'm saying people can & are held accountable for a myriad of things that aren't specifically mentioned in an interview MichMan Dec 26 #70

Well, there's cursive and there's curse-ive 0rganism Dec 26 #73

Reading and writing cursive is a skill, not drinking on the job and not stealing aren't skills. Ms. Toad Dec 26 #78

Agreed it doesn't make them "illiterate"; but snot Dec 26 #40

I had to learn cursive.... Xolodno Dec 26 #46

No. Of course not. NT Happy Hoosier Dec 26 #48

So what happens to legal documents if someone doesn't have a "signature"? Presume allegorical oracle Dec 26 #49

It doesn't have to be cursive. It can just be terrible handwriting. sakabatou Dec 26 #53

No. Xoan Dec 26 #54

How do you sign you name if you don't know cursive? bif Dec 26 #55

Like many of these anecdotes about the world of work and "the younger generation", Emrys Dec 26 #56

Just Google the scribbles The Madcap Dec 26 #57

Of course they're not functionally illiterate, but Susan Calvin Dec 26 #58

Don't think Rebl2 Dec 26 #60

If you can't write cursive how do sign a check, like in the westerns where they made their mark? doc03 Dec 26 #64

I rarely sign checks nowadays, but when I do, my signature's degraded into a stylized squiggle. Emrys Dec 26 #68

I remember getting my first letter that was printed out from a computer Mossfern Dec 26 #67

cursive is also good brain exercise. WarGamer Dec 26 #69

I can write cursive with both hands -- and no_hypocrisy Dec 26 #72

While I ForgedCrank Dec 26 #74

No. Would that exclude Braille? underpants Dec 26 #76

Although I think everyone should know it, I also feel that's it's kinda dumb to use it in 2024 Polybius Dec 26 #81

No, they aren't. No one is taught cursive in schools anymore. iemanja Dec 27 #85

Another generation-division post. It means the employee isn't ambitious enough to take a little time to learn, doesn't betsuni Dec 27 #89

If it's clearly written there shouldn't be any problem. BlueTsunami2018 Dec 27 #93

Wow, we were taught cursive starting in the first grade. Emile Dec 27 #94

Replace "cursive" with "Latin" and see how silly this discussion sounds NickB79 Dec 27 #98

I learning Latin is a good deal more difficult thucythucy Dec 27 #104

Well, most people over a certain age write in cursive - you'd have as much luck asking my mother to write letters in Midwestern Democrat Dec 28 #148

I'd make them read the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence Historic NY Dec 27 #99

no, unless the hire didn't think to plug it into an AI, in which case yes cadoman Dec 27 #100

If a person cannot read or write classic Latin, are they functionally illiterate? DBoon Dec 27 #101

I look at this from the other direction Unwind Your Mind Dec 27 #102

Writing in cursive is one of the few things the young people around me are highly impressed by. appmanga Dec 27 #103

Teaching kids cursive is actually quite easy and I did it as "bell work" every morning. La Coliniere Dec 27 #107

Teaching adults cursive is even easier. Mariana Dec 28 #140

No. Just because something is illegible to you does not mean you're illiterate. WhiskeyGrinder Dec 27 #115

Lol @ obsolete hobby skills dubiously deemed essential Orrex Dec 27 #116

All offense intended, but that partner sounds like an asshole Rob H. Dec 27 #118

I wouldn't call it illiterate. In this case, I would say, they lack a skill that is required for this particular job. Betty Boom Dec 27 #123

I'm much more interested in people who know how to use a keyboard than read/produce scribble. Gore1FL Dec 27 #127

Consequence comes home to roost... dobleremolque Dec 27 #130

Did it occur to you to give the kid a handwriting book Mariana Dec 28 #138

. dobleremolque Dec 28 #145

I had a mild stroke in 2016. Jeebo Dec 27 #134

No, they are not "functionally illiterate" Renew Deal Dec 28 #136

Just did a quick job search. There are 75+ jobs listing the ability to read cursive. Renew Deal Dec 28 #139

Bookmarking! Drum Dec 28 #143

This has been going on for a long time, couple of decades at least. mucholderthandirt Dec 28 #146

I remember my fundie home-schooled nephew struggling publicly to read travelingthrulife Dec 28 #147

We had cursive font letters above the chalkboard in Emile Dec 28 #149

Teacher here J-9 Dec 28 #154

A signature does not have to be written in cursive. Ms. Toad Dec 28 #155

Taking time to sign something is a sign of respect to those to whom we address a document. PeaceWave Dec 28 #157

That has nothing to do with whether a something other than cursive Ms. Toad Dec 28 #165

No, but if the job requires reading cursive it could be disqualifying not to be able to nini Dec 28 #159

I addressed that issue above. Ms. Toad Dec 28 #164

My reply is in the wrong place...sorry nini Dec 28 #167

That is not the question I was addressing. Ms. Toad Dec 28 #169

If the job requires reading cursive, the employer should teach the employee. Mariana Dec 28 #173

Yup. I've had to "sign" legal NDAs on e-forms in order to work for some clients Emrys Dec 28 #166

My signature is a bump followed by a nearly straight line Kaleva Dec 28 #168

I've usuallly got a couple of loops near the beginning Ms. Toad Dec 28 #171

Young, straight-out-of-college, GenZer should have known ... JustABozoOnThisBus Dec 28 #156

They were probably forbidden to use those apps. Mariana Dec 28 #174

The apps might be forbidden if your work requires a security clearance. JustABozoOnThisBus Dec 29 #175

I can neither print or write cursive Kaleva Dec 28 #170

Cursive is just a way to write faster. Patton French Dec 29 #177

If it's a way to write faster, as you say, then why should it go extinct? That makes no sense. PeaceWave Dec 29 #182

Because people don't use pen and paper anywhere near as much as when cursive was a thing Patton French Dec 29 #183

Failure to teach cursive is furthering the United States falling behind the rest of the world. madaboutharry Dec 29 #180

Without a device cannot communicate ... LSparkle Dec 29 #181