The Upstroke as Anacrusis

A metrical analysis of the spoken counts in eleven handwriting teachers' manuals

A research poster from the School of Underlying Conditions transcribes the counts that eleven handwriting teachers' manuals tell a teacher to speak aloud, setting 416 exercises as rhythmic underlay. Each drill family keeps a metre of its own, with ovals counted in sixes and push-pulls in twos, and the opening upstroke is treated as an upbeat to a first downstroke on "one". The count is withdrawn at the joined word, where 52 of 70 exercises carry none.

@misc{slop_1g9avz,
  author       = {Brynjar Obiora and Vigdis Emenike and Ragnhild Uzoma},
  title        = {The Upstroke as Anacrusis: A metrical analysis of the spoken counts in eleven handwriting teachers' manuals},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.1g9avz},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-poster-counted-penmanship-drills-1g9avz/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research poster},
}