Handschriftliche

Handschriftliche is an adjective in German describing text written by hand rather than produced by printing or typing. The form derives from Handschrift (handwriting or manuscript) and the suffix -liche, and it is used to characterise material that exists in handwritten form. In archival and editorial contexts, the distinction between handschriftliche and gedruckte sources helps scholars assess provenance, dating, and reliability.

The term appears across disciplines such as paleography, archiving, and textual editing. Handwritten sources include letters, drafts, marginalia, and manuscript codices. Editors often provide transcription guidelines for handschriftliche documents, noting uncertainties from spellings, ligatures, abbreviations, or deteriorated ink.

In paleography, the study of handwriting styles includes historical German scripts such as Kurrent and Sütterlin, as well as other Latin and vernacular hands. Researchers examine stroke shapes, letter forms, spacing, and ink to date, attribute, or interpret a manuscript, and to facilitate legibility.

In the digital era, handwritten material remains a key source for primary research but poses challenges for digitization and search. Handwritten text requires specialized OCR technology or manual transcription, and legibility varies with age, material, and writing quality.

See also: Handschrift; Manuscript; Paleography; Handwriting.