Carolingian Script

I have here a new script that will be used throughout the empire. It is called Carolingian, for you, Charlemagne. Like many of the other national hands, our script uses minuscule letters. The letters, however, have space between them so each letter may be easily read, and words also have spaces. The letters have a rounded shape that I think will be more pleasing, and easier, to read. The script also uses large, easy to read capital letters, taken from Roman capital script, at the beginning of sentences. This script also uses far fewer ligatures than others, although in some cases ligatures are merited for the clarity they provide. For example, the ligature of 'e-t' is much easier to write and has become so recognizable that it in no way diminishes the legibility of the document.

In comparison with Luxeuil Minuscule, Carolingian is much more legible. The rounded letters and straight descenders and ascenders are much weightier than those of Luxeuil Minuscule, whose letter forms are tightly packed together and quite thin. The 'a' in Carolingian always has a closed bowl, which is another difference between the scripts. The open bowl of the 'a' in Luxeuil Minuscule looks quite like a double 'c', which can lead to confusion when reading.

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Alcuin's presentation

Why we need clear scripts

Hierarchy of scripts

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