POPULAR SPELLING AND THE ORTHOGRAPHY REFORM 1917–1918

The article deals with the problems of the prehistory of the 1917–1918 orthographic reform. It was already in the 19th century that the discussion of the program of this reform began, and rural teachers came to be its most active supporters. Teachers used to believe that simplification of spelling would facilitate the learning process and contribute to the success of public education. The article shows that as a result of the reform, the orthographic norm absorbed a number of features inherent in popular writing (cheap popular prints, peasant letters). Peasant orthography was not standardized, but it had a number of specific features, some of which were borrowed by the authors of the reform.