Who invented the alphabet of the Russian language? How did the Russian alphabet come about?

The role of writing in the development of all humansociety can not be overestimated. Even before the appearance of the letters familiar to us, the ancients left various traces on stone and rocks. At first they were drawings, then hieroglyphs replaced them. Finally, a letter more convenient to transmit and understand information appeared. After centuries and millennia, these signs and symbols helped restore the past of many nations. Monuments of writing played a special role in this matter: various sets of laws and official documents, literary works and memoirs of prominent people.

Today, knowledge of the person who invented the alphabet of the Russian language is not only an indicator of the intellectual development of a person, but also determines his attitude towards the country in which he was born and lives.

How it all began

In essence, the basis for creating the alphabet was laidPhoenicians still at the end of 2 millennia BC. e. They invented consonants, which they used for quite a while. Subsequently, their Greeks borrowed and perfected the alphabet: vowels already appeared in it. This was about the 8th century BC. e. Further, the history of the alphabet of the Russian language can be reflected in the scheme: the Greek letter - Latin alphabet - Slavic Cyrillic. The latter served as the basis for the creation of writing among a number of kindred peoples.

Formation of the old Russian state

From the 1st century AD begins the process of decaytribes inhabiting the territory of Eastern Europe and spoke the common pre-Slavic language. As a result, Kievan Rus is formed in the region of the middle Dnieper, which later became the center of a large state. It was inhabited by part of the Eastern Slavs, who over time formed their own special way of life and customs. The story of how the Russian alphabet appeared was further developed.

Growing and Fostering Stateestablished economic and cultural ties with other countries, primarily Western European. And for this, writing was needed, especially since the first Church Slavonic books were brought to Russia. At the same time, there is a weakening of paganism and the spread throughout Europe of a new religion - Christianity. It was here that an acute need arose for the “invention” of the alphabet, thanks to which a new teaching could be conveyed to all Slavs. It became the Cyrillic alphabet, created by the “brothers of the Theuns”.

Important mission of Constantine and Methodius

In the 9th century, the sons of a noble Solunian Greekthe instructions of the Byzantine emperor went to Moravia - at that time a powerful state, located within the borders of modern Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Their task was to introduceSlavs who inhabited Eastern Europe, with the teachings of Christ and the ideas of Orthodoxy, and also hold a service in their native language for the local population. The choice fell on two brothers by chance: they had good organizational skills, showed particular diligence in their studies. In addition, both were fluent in Greek and Slavic languages. Constantine (shortly before his death, after taking monastic vows, he was given a new name - Cyril, with whom he went down in history) and Methodius became the people who came up with the alphabet of the Russian language. This was perhaps the most significant result of their mission in the year 863.

Cyrillic base

When creating an alphabet for the Slavs brothersused the Greek alphabet. The letters corresponding to the pronunciation in the languages ​​of these two peoples, they left unchanged. To designate the sounds of Slavic speech, absent from the Greeks, 19 new signs were invented. As a result, the new alphabet included 43 letters, many of which were later included in the alphabets of peoples who once spoke a common language.

But the story of who came up with the alphabet of Russianlanguage does not end there. For 9-10 centuries, the Slavs were distributed two types of the alphabet: Cyrillic (about it said above) and the verb. The second contained fewer letters - 38 or 39, their shape was more difficult. In addition, the first characters were used additionally to denote numbers.

So did Kirill invent the alphabet?

For centuries, researchersDifficult to give a definite answer to this question. In "The Life of Cyril" it is noted that "with the help of his brother ... and students ... he composed the Slavic alphabet ...". If this is true, then which of the two — the Cyrillic or the verb — is his creation? The case is complicated by the fact that the manuscripts made by Cyril and Methodius have not been preserved, and in the later ones (dating back to the 9-10 centuries), none of these alphabets are mentioned.

To understand who came up with the alphabetRussian language, scientists conducted a lot of research. In particular, they compared one and the other with the alphabets that existed even before their appearance and analyzed the results in detail. They did not come to a unanimous opinion, but most agree that Cyril, most likely, was invented precisely the verb, and even before the trip to Moravia. This is supported by the fact that the number of letters in it was as close as possible to the phonetic composition of the Old Slavonic language (intended specifically for writing). In addition, in their inscription, the letters of the Glagolit differed to a greater extent from the Greek and are a little similar to modern writing.

The Cyrillic alphabet, which became the basis for the Russian alphabet (az + letters - this is the name of its first letters), could have been created by one of Konstantin's students - Clement Okhritsky. He called her so in honor of the teacher.

The formation of the Russian alphabet

Regardless of who invented the Cyrillic alphabet, it was she who became the basis for the creation of the Russian alphabet and the modern alphabet.

В 988 году Древняя Русь принимает христианство, which significantly influenced the further fate of the language. From this time begins the formation of its own writing. Gradually, the Old Russian language, whose alphabet is based on the Cyrillic alphabet, is being improved. It was a long process, which ended only after 1917. Then the last changes were made to the alphabet that we use today.

How did Cyrillic change

Before the Russian alphabet acquired the kindwhich has today, the first principle alphabet has undergone a number of changes. The most significant reforms were in the years 1708-10 under Peter I and in 1917-18 after the revolution.

Initially in Cyrillic, very reminiscentByzantine writing was somewhat redundant, doublets, letters, for example, and = i, o = ѡ - they were most likely used to convey Bulgarian sounds. There were various superscript signs that indicated stress, aspiration, aspiration.

Prior to the reign of Peter I, letters were written in a special way that indicated numbers — it was he who introduced the Arabic account.

В первую реформу (это было вызвано необходимостью drafting of business papers: 7 letters were withdrawn from the alphabet: ξ (xi), (zelo) and iotated vowels, I and Y were added (they replaced the ones that existed), ε (circulating). This simplified the alphabet much, and it became known as “civilian”. In 1783, N. Karamzin added the letter Y. Finally, after 1917, 4 more letters disappeared from the Russian alphabet, and b (er) and b (u) began to denote only the hardness and softness of the consonants.

Completely changed the name of the letters.Initially, each of them was a whole word, and the entire alphabet, according to many researchers, was filled with a special meaning. In this, the mind and the out-of-the-box thinking of those who invented the alphabet manifested. The Russian language has preserved the memory of the first names of the letters in proverbs and sayings. For example, “start with the basics” —that is, from the very beginning; “Phyta yes and izhitsa - the lash approaches the lazy one”. They are also found in phraseological units: “to look with a verb”.

Praise the great saints

Создание кириллицы стало величайшим событием для of the whole Slavic world. The introduction of writing allowed the descendants to pass on their accumulated experience, to tell the glorious history of the formation and development of independent states. It is not by chance that they say: “If you want to know the truth, start with the alphabet.”

Centuries pass, new discoveries appear.But those who came up with the alphabet of the Russian language are remembered and revered. Proof of this is the holiday, the Day of Slavic Literature, which is celebrated around the world every year on May 24.