Playwrite is a typeface engine designed to create cursive fonts for primary school education. This focus is particularly relevant in India, where the National Curriculum Framework mandates teaching three languages, including the student's home tongue and potentially English, with writing instruction beginning in Grades 1 and 2. While the curriculum doesn't specify handwriting styles, the historical context highlights a shift in English language instruction. NCERT's previous English textbooks, 'Marigold,' emphasized cursive writing in Grade 2 using a style similar to Vere Foster's 19th-century model. This connection is further strengthened by private publishers attributing their handwriting samples to Foster. Playwrite draws inspiration from Foster's 'New Civil Service' style, featuring slanted, continuous cursive with medium-length extenders. The typeface incorporates decorative capitals, notably 'A' and 'H' with their elaborate crossbars. Lowercase letters have looped ascenders and descenders, some with curved entry strokes. Distinctive features include a knotted 'r' and a 'q' with a short exit stroke on the descender.
Copyright 2023 The Playwrite Project Authors (https://github.com/TypeTogether/Playwrite)
This Font Software is licensed under the SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1.
This license is copied below, and is also available with a FAQ at:
https://openfontlicense.org
-----------------------------------------------------------
SIL OPEN FONT LICENSE Version 1.1 - 26 February 2007
-----------------------------------------------------------
PREAMBLE
The goals of the Open Font License (OFL) are to stimulate worldwide
development of collaborative font projects, to support the font creation
efforts of academic and linguistic communities, and to provide a free and
open framework in which fonts may be shared and improved in partnership
with others.
The OFL allows the licensed fonts to be used, studied, modified and
redistributed freely as long as they are not sold by themselves. The
fonts, including any derivative works, can be bundled, embedded,
redistributed and/or sold with any software provided that any reserved
names are not used by derivative works. The fonts and derivatives,
however, cannot be released under any other type of license. The
requirement for fonts to remain under this license does not apply
to any document created using the fonts or their derivatives.
DEFINITIONS
"Font Software" refers to the set of files released by the Copyright
Holder(s) under this license and clearly marked as such. This may
include source files, build scripts and documentation.
"Reserved Font Name" refers to any names specified as such after the
copyright statement(s).
"Original Version" refers to the collection of Font Software components as
distributed by the Copyright Holder(s).
"Modified Version" refers to any derivative made by adding to, deleting,
or substituting -- in part or in whole -- any of the components of the
Original Version, by changing formats or by porting the Font Software to a
new environment.
"Author" refers to any designer, engineer, programmer, technical
writer or other person who contributed to the Font Software.
PERMISSION & CONDITIONS
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining
a copy of the Font Software, to use, study, copy, merge, embed, modify,
redistribute, and sell modified and unmodified copies of the Font
Software, subject to the following conditions:
1) Neither the Font Software nor any of its individual components,
in Original or Modified Versions, may be sold by itself.
2) Original or Modified Versions of the Font Software may be bundled,
redistributed and/or sold with any software, provided that each copy
contains the above copyright notice and this license. These can be
included either as stand-alone text files, human-readable headers or
in the appropriate machine-readable metadata fields within text or
binary files as long as those fields can be easily viewed by the user.
3) No Modified Version of the Font Software may use the Reserved Font
Name(s) unless explicit written permission is granted by the corresponding
Copyright Holder. This restriction only applies to the primary font name as
presented to the users.
4) The name(s) of the Copyright Holder(s) or the Author(s) of the Font
Software shall not be used to promote, endorse or advertise any
Modified Version, except to acknowledge the contribution(s) of the
Copyright Holder(s) and the Author(s) or with their explicit written
permission.
5) The Font Software, modified or unmodified, in part or in whole,
must be distributed entirely under this license, and must not be
distributed under any other license. The requirement for fonts to
remain under this license does not apply to any document created
using the Font Software.
TERMINATION
This license becomes null and void if any of the above conditions are
not met.
DISCLAIMER
THE FONT SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT
OF COPYRIGHT, PATENT, TRADEMARK, OR OTHER RIGHT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
COPYRIGHT HOLDER BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING
FROM, OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE FONT SOFTWARE OR FROM
OTHER DEALINGS IN THE FONT SOFTWARE.
Playwrite IN
Playwrite India
https://primarium.info/countries/india/
According to the Indian National Curriculum Framework, students must be taught three languages, starting with their home tongue, and English can be among the languages they learn. Students should learn how to write in Grades 1 and 2, but the document does not specify any methods or models for teaching handwriting.
The new NCERT textbooks for English are titled Mridang. The book for grade 1 teaches students print-style letterforms. No cursive writing instruction appears in this or the grade 2 textbook. However, NCERT’s previous English textbook series, called Marigold, focused on cursive writing in grade 2 (7–8 years old) and showed samples in a style similar to one developed by Irish-born British diplomat, Vere Foster, in the second half of the nineteenth century. Further, handwriting textbooks produced by a major private publisher directly attribute the samples in their volumes to Foster’s model.
Playwrite India Characteristics
This slanted continuous cursive style features medium-length extenders and draws inspiration from Vere Foster's New Civil Service writing models. The script includes decorative capital letters, with 'A' and 'H' particularly notable for their elaborated crossbars. Lowercase letters are designed with loops on both ascenders and descenders, and several letters begin with curved entry strokes. The letter 'r' is distinguished by a knot, and 'q' is characterized by a short exit stroke in its descender.
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}