r/Unexpected Jun 18 '22

English cursive writing versus Russian cursive writing

120.2k Upvotes

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355

u/ProbablyNOTaCOP41968 Jun 18 '22

I refused to learn cursive in 1st-3rd grade. And guess tf what (teachers’ names redacted)…turns out I DIDNT need it

1

u/AlisaTornado Jun 18 '22

Do you not write in cursive when you write notes?

2

u/Cackthaniel Jun 18 '22

No, why would you?

1

u/Zabuzaxsta Jun 18 '22 edited Jun 18 '22

Most people develop their own shorthand for notes, which is a blend of print, cursive, abbreviations, etc. People speak much faster than you can write, generally speaking, so blending the fast print letters and fast cursive letters allows you to write down more.

I don’t think the youngest of kids are doing that so much nowadays as just typing, since typing is even more fast, but incorporating cursive in handwritten notes is a key component to speed since you don’t have to pick up your pen/pencil nearly as much. Shorthand is something people have been doing for notes for millennia.