BBC 英语学习 6分钟英语 手写与字体

Hello. This is a program from the BBC Learning English archive.

It was 1st broadcast in October 2011 on the BBC Learning English website.

We hope you enjoy it. This is 6 min English from bbc learning english dot com.

Hello, I'm Rob

and I'm kath and this is six minute English from BBC Learning English.

Today, we're talking about font that's the typeface, or the style of letters that we type on a computer screen.

Yes, that's right. And when we type a document, we have an array of different fonts to choose from.

So Kath, surely you must have the favorite font that you You yeah, do at work.

Um, I like aerial for some reason.

It's very plain, very straightforward. I also like gill sands.

I think it looks very nice.

That's a nice one. It's a lovely one.

It's quite interesting, because the font that you use can indicate what kind of person you are.

I'll tell you more about that in a moment.

But 1st, I think we should have a question.

Oh, no, I'm gonna get it wrong.

We'll see, shall we? Do you know which language the word font originates from?

Is it Spanish, german or French?

Um, I'm gonna go for French, I think, this week.

OK, well, we'll see if you're right at the end of the program.

Now, let's get back to the subject of typography, or the use of text in printing.

We've mentioned that the style of text is called the font, and now experts say the font you use can say a lot about you, like handwriting.

So whether you write neatly with beautiful joined up letters, or write mentally so nobody can read, it can give us an insight into the type of person that you are.

Yes, handwriting can even be seen as an art form called calligraphy, but in this modern age, it's the keyboard.

Most of us used to type words on a computer screen.

That's true. I can't actually remember the last time I actually wrote a letter using a pen.

But Rob, you're saying we can even interpret someone's personality by the font they use, exactly.

And as we can hear from author Simon Garfield, there are thousands of fonts that we can choose from.

We have 60 fonts on our computer, and we have a choice of that haven't counted them all, something like 100000 fonts that we can, we can find online before in and out of love with fans the way that one can do with people.

So author Simon Garfield says there are around 100 thousand fonts available online, and he says that we often change the fonts that we use.

Yes, he said, just like people, we fall in and out of love with fonts.

Now, our moods can affect the style we actually use, and also who we're typing a letter for, can influence our choice.

So using round and large letters can be seen as being friendly, but also unsophisticated.

In the world of marketing, using the correct font is vital for creating the right image for a brand YEP.

Fonts have characteristics, like a sort of personality.

This is something that a font designer like Jason Smith tries to create.

Now, he spoke to BBC correspondent David Silito, and told him more about the characteristics that fonts might represent in the people who picked them.

This is Rufus, who is a humanitarian, slightly or slightly wide.

And you really think that people do judge you on your letters?

Oh, absolutely. It's a handwriting for a modern age.

So you could look sort of grown up and competent with this.

Charming and friendly with this. I think you can look at competent with this as well, but this is much more friendly.

That's Jason Smith, who describes fonts as people, E.G.

The font Rufus is humanitarian, slightly odd, slightly wide humanitarian.

so it shows that you're concerned with reducing suffering.

That's how people will judge you if you use this font apparen'tly so, and it makes you look grown up too.

A font like Teresius info font, it can make you look competent too, but more friendly.

And as he said, this is the handwriting of the modern age.

But there's one font that seems to be loathed by many people, and that's a sort of rather jaunty front called comic sands Warm.

And it's inoffensive, and to some people it looks homely, perhaps handwritten, but others think it's so simple it looks childish, so much so that an anti comic sands website has been set up shows you how controversial fonts can be.

They're sort of like our online personality, aren't they?

So I think next time I'm on the computer, I will give more thought to the front I use.

Hmm, me too. But Kev, how much thought have you given to today's question?

Now, earlier, I asked you which language the word font originates from?

And I said, french. But I haven't got a single one right yet.

Well, today is your lucky day, because you've got it right.

It does originate from the French word front, which means something that has been melted, and refers to the metal that was melted to make the letters for the printing presses and typewriters.

Right? Kath, could you remind us of some of the vocabulary we've used today?

Yes, of course. We had fonts, fonts, an array, an array.

Typography, typography, calligraphy. Calligraphy. Unsophisticated. Unsophisticated.

Characteristics. Characteristics. Humanitarian, humanitarian. Competent. Competent.

Low Loathed. Jaunty. Jaunty. Thanks, kath.

Well, we hope you enjoy today's program, and maybe you'll think more about the fonts you'll be using.

Please join us again for another six minute.

English Very soon bye. That was 6 min English from BBC learning English dot com.

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