![]() The terms used when describing letter forms are best elucidated by examples: the letter b comprises a stem or mainstroke which rises above the general level of the other letters ( ascender) and a lobe made with a curved stroke to the right of the stem the letter p a descender and a lobe the letter h an ascender and a limb the letter t a shaft and a headstroke. Biting occurs when two adjacent contrary curved strokes coalesce, as when b is closely followed by o. An otiose stroke is a superfluous stroke, one which does not form part of a letter, and which does not indicate an abbreviation. A minim stroke is the shortest and simplest stroke: that used to form the letters i, m, n, u. A broken stroke is made in more than one movement, the direction of the pen being changed suddenly without its being lifted from the page. A stroke is a single trace made by the pen on the page if the stroke has no sudden change of direction, it is made in a single movement. The duct of a hand is the distinctive manner in which strokes are traced upon the writing surface: it represents the combination of such factors as the angle at which the pen was held in relation to the way in which it was cut, the degree of pressure applied to it, and the direction in which it was moved. "A script is the model which the scribe has in his mind's eye when he writes, whereas a hand is what he actually puts down on the page. ![]() Parkes, "A Note on Palaeographical Terms," English Cursive Book Hands, 1250-1500, Oxford Palaeographical Handbooks (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969), p. The following is a consise and useful clarification of some of the basic terminology in the study of handwriting. Biting is a characteristic of Gothic and Humanistic scripts. Ligature: a line joining two characters (a bar crossing a pair of els, for instance).ĭigraph: a character created by joining two others representing a single sound (for instance, Æ, the aesh).īiting: when two adjoining and contrary curves (a "b" followed by an "o," for instance) overlap or share a stroke. Scripts (and typefaces) can be classified as "serif" or "sans serif" according to the presence or absence of serifs. Serif: a decorative, finishing flourish on a stroke. Slant: the degree of variation from the true vertical. Shading: the presence of differing thicknesses of stroke. (or one can speak of "circles," "arc," "ovals," "ellipses," etc.).īow (lobe): a circle appended to a stem (as in "p," "b," "q," or "d"). Head (top) strokes: the horizontal stroke of the "T."įor the most part, these are named after the letter formed from them: a "c-stroke," an "s-stroke," etc. ![]() Stem: the minim with ascender or descender which supports the rest of the letter.īar: the horizontal stroke of an "A" or "H."Īrms (hastas): the horizontal strokes of an "E," "F," or "L" these extend from, but do not cross, the stem. It can be useful to think of majuscules as fitting between two imaginary lines, minuscules as fitting between four lines (two lines defining the top and bottom of the body, two more distant lines defining the extent of ascenders and descenders). Minim: the shortest and simplest stroke: the vertical (upright) stroke used to form the letters "i," "m," "n," and "u." The word "minim" itself would be written in Gothic script with 10 minims.Īscenders, descenders: strokes ascending or descending from the "body" of the letter. Otiose stroke: a superfluous stroke, not to be interpreted as part of a letter, a punctuation mark, or as an indication of an abbreviation. Stroke: a single sweep of the pen may be a single "movement" (that is, with no change of direction) or may be a "broken" stroke. John, "Latin Paleography," Medieval Studies, 2nd ed., p. But if ductus can help generate changes in appearance, changes in appearance can also generate changes in ductus" (James J. It is largely ductus which determines where the inertial forces and strains generated by rapid writing will express themselves. A knowledge of ductus, which is more concerned with the dynamic than with the static aspect of letters, can be helpful in reading, dating, and placing scripts, but its most important service comes in explaining changes in the appearance of letters. ![]() You are here: > Main Page > Course Notes > Paleography: Letter formationĭuctus: the overall, general "nature" of the production of a given script, defined in terms of the "number, sequence, and direction of the strokes used in forming each letter of the script's alphabet. Manuscript Studies: Paleography: Letter formation ![]()
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