I'm always unsure as to how to choose my д in handwriting.
- Can one arbitrarily choose between ∂ and the minuscule (little g type) here shown? (I mean, sticking to one of them for the whole text, but otherwise arbitrary?)
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Good question, actually. I use ∂ in handwriting whenever I can, just because I can, and just because it sticks out. I'm a rebel like that. But I have no idea why they teach the one and not the other. I will add that "т" is quite common in handwriting, even though "т" is taught, yet the same is not true of д vs. g. – RegDwight Dec 25 '13 at 21:39
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@RegDwight Nice point. And I do love handwritten Russian either way. But I was thinking actually of using ∂, because it tends to restore a, so to say, typographical equilibrium: in what I've learnt as handwritten alphabet– there are more hooks downwards than upwards. If I do my д upwards, it seems more equally distributed :))) – c.p. Dec 25 '13 at 22:00
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Here is a sample of fonts that emulate Russian handwriting. As you can see both styles of д are there. It's just a matter of personal style. – n. 'pronouns' m. Dec 31 '13 at 19:25
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I also use ∂ in handwriting. This appeared spontaneously but have been found more convenient:) Another useful manner is to write э as ə, this keeps readability but greatly reduces writing efforts. – Netch Jan 1 '14 at 18:02
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@Netch thanks, I'll ə a try. As non-native speaker, writing э has always been a headache for me. – c.p. Jan 1 '14 at 22:12
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Both uppercase and lowercase letters you show here are taught in schools as the standard handwriting.
The uppercase typical handwriting is either the one you provided or block-letter style (Д). In my experience more people switch to the block letter writing lately. I have never seen the lowercase д (g-style writing) or ∂ used in an uppercase.
The lowercase д (g) is ubiquitous, you might also seldom find a lowercase ∂, however this is exotic nowadays.
∂ is typewriting symbol and doesn't appear in standart handwriting. Some people use it as decorative element, kind of monogram. But actually it's for typing (usually coursive) only.
д is italic. It is not a handwriting character.
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Definitely it is. Have a look at Alexander Pushkin's signature. Also, д can be seen there in the first words of the 2nd and the 4th line. Or look at the 2nd picture here. – Yellow Sky Dec 30 '13 at 4:40
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@Yellow Sky sorry, but handwriting standard has changed very much from the time of Pushkin. Also he could be influenced by foreign languages. And anyway, an individual's style even if he is renowned cannot be taken as a reference. – Anixx Dec 30 '13 at 4:55
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1:) They say, everything by Pushkin can be taken as a standard. Besides, what's handwriting standard? The one they teach kids in the 1st grade? As a practicing teacher I can tell you that by the 6th grade almost none of them follows that "standard" exactly, because it's too time-consuming and impractical. That's by no means a standard, just a guideline. As for me, I've been writing д for decades already. No standard should or can suppress individuality, every handwriting is highly individual, so one can hardly speak about standards in handwriting. – Yellow Sky Dec 30 '13 at 5:10
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@anixx yeah, that I know. The point is precisely that italic font's origin is ...handwriting: Wikipedia says: "Italics: In typography, italic type is a cursive typeface based on a stylized form of calligraphic handwriting." So I find no contradiction. I just want to know, if I write like that, would be understood or people will think "ah this crackpot is writing so strange!" – c.p. Dec 30 '13 at 8:19
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2@c.p. - Believe me, you will be understood pretty well, most people won't even pay attention to which shape of 'д' you use. – Yellow Sky Dec 30 '13 at 8:28
