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CHAPTER II

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
To facilitate the description of the variformed Gothic script
it will be well to proceed from certain general ideas derived
from a study of our own modern Roman hand.The letters of our written alphabet may be divided into
four classes with reference to their relationship to a real or
imagined line -- the base line -- on which the penman is (or
is supposed to be) writing. We distinguish four varieties of
letters:
1. Linear letters, that is, the small letters (minuscules)
a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, and x, which are written on the
line and go only a short distance (about an eighth of an inch)
above it. In the secretary script the linear letters were a, c, e,
i, m, n, o, r, u, and a variety of x. There are no capitals
(majuscules) in this class.
2. Supralinear letters, that is, b, d, h, k, l, and t, which go a
considerable distance (a quarter of an inch or more) above the
line. In the secretary hand the supralinear letters were b, c,
d, k, l, s, t, v, and w, as well as certain varieties of a and h.
These letters were not all of a size; the a, t, v, and w went only
a very short distance above the linear letters. Most of the old
capital letters belong to this class.
3. Infralinear letters, that is, g, j, p, q, y, and z, which go a
considerable distance (about a quarter of an inch) below the
line. In the secretary hand these letters were g, h, i, (j), p, q,
r, x, y, and z. The only capitals in this class are X and Y.
4. Double-length letters, such as our f, which go a consider-
able distance above and below the line. In the secretary
alphabet these letters were the following: f, h, s, G, H, (J),
P, X, Y, and Z.

-16-

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Publication Information: Book Title: The Handwriting of the Renaissance. Contributors: Samuel A. Tannenbaum - author. Publisher: Columbia University Press. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 1930. Page Number: 16.
    
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