Handwriting detector, extractor, and language classifier

Disclosed are methods for handwriting recognition. In some aspects, an image representing a page of a sample document is analyzed to identify a region having indications of handwriting. The region is analyzed to determine frequencies of a plurality of geometric features within the region. The frequencies may be compared to profiles or histograms of known language types, to determine if there are similarities between the frequencies in the sample document relative to those of the known language types. In some aspects, machine learning may be used to characterize the document as a particular language type based on the frequencies of the geometric features.