Regional handwriting variation
Different societies write the same thing different, this is often something like a "foreign accent" in handwriting.
- numeral 1 with 'hat' to the left, and with or without a lower base bar like the lower half of I.
- numeral 7 with bang on the left edge of the horizontal bar. It is not crossed.
- Occassionally I is written without the upper and lower bars.
- Z is not crossed, except in mathematics.
Many Europeans:
- write numeral 1 with 'hat'
- write numeral 9 like lowercase g (Arial-style)
Many Slavs:
- write 'a' clockwise
Japanese:
- never cross 7
Crossed 7s used to be taught at schools run by the Roman Catholic Church.
Copybook that is used
The copybook that is taught, varies from country to country. Some countries, such as France, have a national copybook. In other countries, such as the United States, the copybook taught at school is decided at the school district level.
Dubay-Getty, for example, is taught at Portland Schools. Loops and Sticks, is usually taught to individuals at schools which have Learning Disabilities. Spencer Penmanship is taught at one private school, in Illinois.
(Add graphical images of the various copybooks.)
See Also
Alphabet
or, for more history.
Aramaic alphabet Cyrillic alphabet Ethiopic alphabet Etruscan alphabet Greek alphabet Hebrew alphabet Latin alphabet Old Turkic alphabet Rotokas alphabet