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Texted out of Existence

TMCnet Feature

July 26, 2013

Texted out of Existence

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By Nicole Spector
Contributing Writer

What will the correspondence of the poetic couples of the future look like? 

A series of heart emoticons and OMGs? 

Looking back, we see a lot of historical correspondence consisted of handwritten letters, almost always by a hand well-trained in cursive. Even those of us who were rigorously taught the art of cursive in elementary school may find themselves astounded by how beautifully those old-timers could make inky words look on a page. 


Flash forward 10 years from now and we're going to seem like practitioners of a forgotten skill. 

This is because, as CNN reports, the art of cursive is going down the drain. Even people who once knew it well are starting to forget it. For many, particularly tech-enthusiasts, lamenting the impending loss of formal handwriting is sentimental hogwash. After all, we've evolved into texting and instant messaging (emphasis on the instant — who remembers how grueling cursive can be on the wrist?!) It's simple evolution. Why waste money and time teaching children how to use an outdated skill? One that is seldom, if ever required to perform? 

But experts assert that there is more than just nostalgia will be attending cursive's funeral. Take thinking, for instance. 

Wendy Carlson, a handwriting expert and forensic document examiner says that to learn cursive requires a sophisticated thinking process. You have to think somewhat ahead when sitting down to craft out a sentence. When you use cursive, that laborious method, your brain is working much differently than if you punch in LOL or C U Later. It's more than just a neural response; it is actual consideration and applied technique. 

Thinking isn't the only casualty entailed in the phase-out of cursive: language is, too. 

Jan Olsen, the founder and president of "Handwriting Without Tears," says that writing in cursive requires a use of standard English, which is a basic necessity to have in an English-speaking world. Part of the training of handwriting, is the training of language. It is no accident that we use how to write the alphabet as we learn to speak it. Texting may be a quick and preferred way to communicate on the go, but would we really want it and its style to be the only way our children can create a readable sentence? 




Edited by Rich Steeves


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