prelims Flashcards
any beginning stroke of any letter
STARTING / INITIAL STROKE
STARTING / INITIAL STROKE – any beginning stroke of any letter. This is sometimes called
BEARD
any ending stroke of a letter
ENDING / TERMINAL STROKE
The main portion of the letter, minus the initial strokes, terminal strokes and diacritic in any letter.
BODY
refer to the “t” crossing and dots of the letter “i” & “j”. These are elements added to complete certain letters. It could also be a mark above or below a printed letter that indicates a change in the way it is to be pronounced or stressed.Acute and grave accents, tilde (~), and cedillas (ç an ş) are examples of diacritics.
DIACRITICS
CACOGRAPHY – came from Greek word
“kakkographia”
CACOGRAPHY – came from Greek word “kakkographia” which means
“ugly writing.”
CALLIGRAPHY – came from Greek term
kalligraphia
CALLIGRAPHY – came from Greek term kalligraphia which means
“beautiful writing.
writing.”Kalligraphia came from kallos meaning
beauty
Kalligraphia came from graphein meaning
write
the lower part of the letter which rest on the base line. The small letter “m” has three feet, and the small letter “n” has two feet.
FOOT / FEET
the two side out portion of the top curve of selected letters such as but not limited to letters m, n, and h.
SHOULDERS
the top outside portion of letters m, n, & h the rounded outside or top of the bend stroke or curve in small letter.
HUMP
refers to the inside curve portion of selected characters
ARCADE
any repeated elements or details, which may serve to individualize writing. It is how a certain letter is written repeatedly.
HABIT
the term applied to the irregular thickening of ink which is found when writing slows down or stop while the pen takes a stock of the position
HESITATION
It is a minute curve or an ankle which often occurs at the beginning or ending of strokes. The terminal curves of the letters “a”, “d”, “n”, “m”, “p”, “u”, is the hook. In small letter “w” the initial curve is the hook.
HOOK
An oblong curve such as found on the small letter “f”, “g”, “l” and letters stroke “f”. A loop may be blind or open. A blind loop is usually the result of the ink having filled the open space.
LOOP
a small loop or curve formed inside the letters. This may occur inside the oval of the letters “a, d, o”; the small loop form by stroke that extend in divergent direction as in small letters.
EYELET / EYELOOP
the space which is enclosed or delimited that may be found in lettersO, P, Q, D, C, F and other letters
COUNTER
a loop made as a flourish which is added to the letters, as in small letters “k, b & p or in capital letters “A”, “K.”
BUCKLE / BUCKLE KNOT
a capitalized letter or letter which is printed in block form (uppercase letter).
MAJUSCULE
a small letter (or lowercase letter).
MINUSCULE
the act of the writer of going back to repair or fix a defective line/stroke of a written character
PATCHING
Any part of the stroke which is superimposed or highlighted.
RETRACING or RETOUCHING
a gap occurring between a continuous stroke without lifting the pen. Such as occurrence usually occurs due to speed; may be regarded also as a special form of pen lift distinguish in a ball gaps in that of perceptible gaps and appear in the writing.
HIATUS or PEN JUMP
an act of interruption (cut) of the writer in a stroke caused by removing or lifting the writing instrument (pen) from the paper
PEN LIFT
a writing weakness portrayed by irregular shaky strokes that is found in
handwriting of a person.
TREMOR
the harmonious appearance of characters, concerning its general style and appearance. Such style or design of letters if found to be consistently used, there is rhythm in writing.
RHYTHM
refers to the general design of letters and figures that can be found to handwritings people who learned the same type of writing systems.
CLASS / GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
refers to the personal design of letters and figures by a person that cannot be found to others’ handwriting
INDIVIDUAL / PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
THE NATURAL VARIATION OF HANDWRITING
every person has a range of handwriting variation determined by his or her physical writing ability, training in “penmanship”, and other factors. To the experienced expert, a study of known samples of writing reveals individual writing characteristics,
which can allow the expert to identify or exclude an individual as the author of some questioned writing.
HANDWRITING IDENTIFICATION
is a free-form activity, and there are an infinite number of ways to write even the simplest letter combination. It is highly unlikely that any person will write his or her own name exactly the same way twice in an entire lifetime
Handwriting
are rhythmic movement of part of the body caused by involuntary rhythmic muscle contractions. Deviations from uniform strokes, ordinarily called tremors, which are perfectly apparent without magnification, are due to lack of skill on the part of the writer, to self-consciousness of the writing process, or to the hesitation which is the result of copying or imitating.
Tremors
Kinds of Tremor
Tremor of Fraud
Tremor of age, or of extreme weakness.
Tremor of illiteracy
are inequality in movement at any place in any stroke or line, with strokes too strong and vigorous combined with weak, hesitating strokes, also frequent interruptions in movement, unequal distribution of ink on upward as well as downward strokes, and especially the varying pen pressure, due to change in speed and interruptions in movement, which may occur in the middle of direct curves, or even in what should be straight lines.
Tremor of Fraud
usually show unusual and erratic departures of the line from its intended course, abrupt recovery, and a general indication of muscular weakness and of movements beyond the control of the writer, particularly in the downward strokes. Genuine weak or decrepit writing frequently shows awkward digressions or distortions, which may be able to imperfect sight, and general irregularity caused by involuntary tremors, and it is often characterized by abbreviations, or even omissions of parts of letters or even of whole letters.
Tremor of age, or of extreme weakness
the changes of direction are not apt to be as
numerous as in tremor of age or of weakness, and in this writing omission of parts of letters or strokes are not common. Illiterate tremor is characterized by a general irregularity that is not due to weakness but to lack of skill and a mental uncertainty as to the form and to a general muscular clumsiness resulting from unfamiliarity with the whole writing process
Tremor of illiteracy
is one in which the person has made a deliberate attempt to remove or modify all or some of his normal writing habits. In the majority of cases all that is achieved is a change in the pictorial appearance of the writing while the distinguishing characteristics are rarely affected. It is the obvious which is altered while the subconscious mannerisms are left as guide for the document examiner.
DISGUISED HANDWRITING
It is the impression from the writing instrument captured only sheets of paper below the one that contains the original writing. This most often manifests itself when pads of paper are used.
INDENTED WRITING or SECOND PAGE WRITING
can be a source of identification in anonymous note cases and is an invaluable investigation procedure when medical records are suspected of containing alterations.
Indented writing
ESDA
Electrostatic Detection Apparatus
Indented writing is normally recovered by one of two methods
oblique (glancing) light
ESDA, (Electrostatic Detection Apparatus)
When writing occurs on paper, which is on top of other sheets of paper, indentations of that writing may appear on some of the bottom pages depending on the
pen pressure.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS
- PERMANENT
- COMMON / USUAL
- OCCASIONAL
- RARE
this characteristic can be found always in handwriting of a person
PERMANENT
this characteristic can be found in a group of writers who studied the same system of writing. Example: Stenography
COMMON / USUAL
this characteristic is only found occasionally in one’s handwriting. This is unique stroke that makes the writer different from others
OCCASIONAL
this characteristic is special to the writer and perhaps found only in one or two persons in a group of 100 individuals.
RARE
TYPES OF STANDARDS
- COLLECTED/ PROCURED STANDARDS
- REQUESTED/ DICTATED STANDARDS
refers to writings of a person written in the course of daily life such as signatures in legal documents, signatures on canceled checks, handwritings in school notebooks, formal letters, commercial/ official/ public and private document and other handwritings.
COLLECTED/ PROCURED STANDARDS
