러시아어 철자 Ё의 역사성과 현재성

The Historicity and Modernity of the Russian Letter “Ё”

This paper focuses on the background and development process of the letter “Ё,” which is more than 200 years old, but also “youngest” letter in the contemporary Russian spelling system, and on the pros and cons of the facultative and obligatory usage of “Ё.” According to Russian orthography (2006), the sound [’Ó] is expressed as Е, or Ё, and the sound [’Э] as Е or É with accent marks. In the case of ambiguity about whether the sound is [’Э] or [’Ó], the use of Ё is recommended to clarify the latter, and the use of É indicates not the latter, but the former. But this rule can’t free speakers from errors, because the underlying cause of the errors associated with the notations Е-Ё and the pronunciations [’Э]-[’Ó] is the facultative usage of “Ё.” But there are no reasonable grounds for the facultative usage of the Ё either in linguistic or Russian cultural historical terms. The reason for this is just a matter of spelling and orthographic system, where linguistic traditions, customs, and conservatism are more dominant compared to others. Furthermore, language groups in a high-level language and culture don’t want any change here, which is guaranteed only by legislation. It is the view of this author that in the current situation, where the use of vocabulary containing [’Ó] has soared, the angry legislation for the obligatory use of “Ё” can only help “Ё” quickly become established in the Russian spelling and orthographic system. In a modern society of total literacy, spelling often has a great impact on the pronunciation of words. The obligatory use of “Ё” ensures that norms of use “Ё” and “Е” are clear and their pronunciations and orthographic errors are avoided.