Authors
Gayathri V., Dr. Manjula
Abstract
Handwriting examination is one of the key types of evidence in solving both criminal and civil cases. India is known for its diverse languages with vast scripts across the country. One among the languages is Kannada which is mother language of the state Karnataka with 49 letters and 10 vowels. The study aims to determine the natural variations in Kannada writings by analysing the handwriting characteristics such as letter formations, spacing, pen pressure, slant, and rhythm. A total of 50 samples were collected within the age group of 18-25 from both male and female. A set of 3 writings were collected in different speeds to understand the factor affecting the handwriting. This study sheds light on fostering the differences and similarities in Kannada writings in determining the source of the writing. The study aims at bridging the gap in analysing handwriting by understanding the relationship between language and educational background of individuals. Keywords: Handwriting, Linguistic, Kannada, Natural Variations, handwriting Characteristics.
Introduction
All the writings contain natural variations; hence no writer can exactly write alike in an extended handwriting sample. This principle of handwriting is one the of key understandings of the forensic document examiner in examining the disputed writings. This study aims at understanding the natural variations of a Dravidian script, Kannada, a prominent language in Karnataka, Southern India (Ewell and Osborn, 1910).
Kannada is a unity of southern Dravidian languages. It comprises of 49 letters and 10 vowels. It is a predominant language in Karnataka with Kodagu. This language identifies its origin from Kadamba script, an abugida of the Brahmi family. The numbers in Kannada language from 0-9 are represented using distinct glyphs differing it from Hindu Arabic numerals. These letters and numerals are used in daily life in Karnataka. Prabhu Kannada letters contain (ಒ
References
Ewell, Marshall D., and Albert S. Osborn. “Questioned Documents. A Study of Questioned Documents With an Outline of Methods by Which the Facts May Be Discovered and Shown.” University of Pennsylvania Law Review and American Law Register, vol. 59, no. 2, Nov. 1910, p. 115.
Gao, Xuelin, and Yanling Wang. “Exploratory Analysis on Dictated Handwriting Samples.” Journal of Forensic Science and Medicine, vol. 5, no. 4, Jan. 2019, p. 195.
Kaur, Amanpreet, et al. ‘Interscript Comparison of Handwriting Features Leading to Their Identification and Authorship’. Nowa Kodyfikacja Prawa Karnego, vol. 45, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wroclawskiego, Dec. 2017, pp. 15–36.
Prabhu, Vinay Uday. Kannada_MNIST: The Main Repository for the Kannada MNIST Dataset. Github, https://github.com/vinayprabhu/Kannada_MNIST. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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| APA Style | V, Gayathri. & Manjula (2025). A Preliminary Study on Kannada Handwriting Characteristics Amongst Karnataka Population. Academic Journal of Forensic Sciences, 08(01), 06-09. |
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