Sütterlin

Template:Template other (, " script") is the last widely used form of , the historical form of German handwriting script that evolved alongside German blackletter (most notably ) typefaces. Graphic artist Ludwig Sütterlin was commissioned by the Prussian Ministry of Science, Art and Culture () to create a modern handwriting script in 1911. His handwriting scheme gradually replaced the older cursive scripts that had developed in the 16th century at the same time that letters in books had developed into Fraktur. The name is nowadays often used to refer to several similar varieties of old German handwriting, but Sütterlin's own script was taught only from 1915 to 1941 in all German schools.

History

The ministry had asked for "modern" handwriting scripts to be used in offices and to be taught in school. Sütterlin created two scripts in parallel with the two typefaces that were in use (see Antiqua–Fraktur dispute). The scripts were introduced in Prussia in 1915 and from the 1920s onwards they began to replace the relatively similar old German handwriting () in schools. In 1935 the style officially became the only German script taught in schools.

In 1941, the Nazi Party banned all "broken" (fraktur, blackletter) typefaces, including , and replaced them with Italian-style lettering, such as thevl Antiqua typeface class . From the academic year 1941/42 onwards, only the so-called ("normal script"), which had hitherto been taught alongside under the name of "Latin script", was allowed to be used and taught. However many German speakers who had been brought up with that writing system continued to use it well into the postwar period.

continued to be taught in some German schools until the 1970s but no longer as the primary script.

Characteristics

is based on older German handwriting, which is a handwriting form of the Blackletter scripts such as and , the German print scripts used at the same time.

It includes the long s (ſ) as well as several standard ligatures such as Template:Not a typo (f-f), Template:Not a typo (ſ-t), Template:Not a typo (s-t), and ß (ſ-z or ſ-s).

Because of their distinctiveness, letters can be used on the blackboard for certain mathematical symbols that are represented by letters in print. The lower-case d in and is used in proofreading for ("let it be deleted").

The Sütterlin lower-case 'e' contains two vertical bars close together, in which the origin of the umlaut diacritic (¨) from a small 'e' written above the modified vowel can be seen.

Overview of the letters

(There are two lower-case forms of the letter "s". The second one is used at the end of a syllable.)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A a

A a

B b

B b

C c

C c

D d

D d

E e

E e

F f

F f

G g

G g

H h

H h

I i

I i

J j

J j

K k

K k

L l

L l

M m

M m

N n

N n

O o

O o

P p

P p

Q q

Q q

R r

R r

S s

S ſ s

ß

ß

T t

T t

U u

U u

V v

V v

W w

W w

X x

X x

Y y

Y y

Z z

Z z

Ä ä

Ä ä

Ö ö

Ö ö

Ü ü

Ü ü

Examples

• The text Script error: No such module "Lang". in Script error: No such module "Lang". script in Wismar, northern Germany
  The text in script in Wismar, northern Germany
• In Petersberg Citadel, Erfurt: Script error: No such module "Lang". ("lock-up room No. 1"). Notice the long s's.
  In Petersberg Citadel, Erfurt: ("lock-up room No. 1"). Notice the long s's.
• Script error: No such module "Lang". ("officers' guardroom"). Notice the round s at the end of Script error: No such module "Lang"., since it occurs at the end of a syllable.
  ("officers' guardroom"). Notice the round s at the end of , since it occurs at the end of a syllable.
• Script error: No such module "Lang"., "grenadiers' guardroom"
  , "grenadiers' guardroom"
• Computer font version (text from What is Enlightenment? by Immanuel Kant)
  Computer font version (text from What is Enlightenment? by Immanuel Kant)

See also

• Antiqua–Fraktur dispute
• Blackletter
• (letter ß)
• handwriting

External links

• The script at Omniglot
• German language page about — with history of German cursive handwriting and Sütterlin
• Learn , a lesson, with sample texts
  • Page where text typed is shown in