Old Russian Alphabet at a Glance
- 37 letters before the 1918 reform, including four letters abolished by the Soviet government [1]
- Used from the 14th century through 1918 in the Russian Empire [2]
- Featured four abolished letters: dotted і, yat (ѣ), fita (ѳ), and izhitsa (ѵ) [1]
- The 1918 Soviet orthography reform reduced the alphabet from 37 to 33 letters [2]
- Yat (ѣ) was one of the most frequently used letters, appearing in thousands of common words
- Essential for reading pre-revolutionary Russian literature, including works by Pushkin, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy
- The reform simplified spelling rules and made literacy education easier for the masses
Old Russian, also known as pre-reform Russian or Imperial Russian, refers to the Russian language and alphabet used from the 14th century through 1918 [2], before the Soviet orthography reform. The alphabet contained 37 letters, including four that were abolished in 1918 [1]: dotted і (i), yat (ѣ), fita (ѳ), and izhitsa (ѵ). The most significant of these was yat (ѣ), which appeared in thousands of common Russian words and whose proper usage was a mark of education and literacy. The 1918 Soviet orthography reform simplified Russian spelling by removing these four letters and changing spelling rules, making the language easier to learn and increasing literacy rates. Understanding Old Russian orthography is essential for reading pre-revolutionary Russian literature, historical documents, and inscriptions.
Old Russian Vowel Letters
Old Russian included vowel letters no longer used in modern Russian, most notably yat (ѣ) and izhitsa (ѵ), whose proper usage was a mark of literacy.
Old Russian Vowels (Uppercase)
Old Russian Vowels (Lowercase)
Old Russian Consonant Letters
Old Russian consonants included fita (ѳ), used in Greek loanwords, which was abolished in the 1918 reform.
For example:
In the word "хлѣбъ" (khleb), meaning "bread", the vowels ѣ (yat) and Ъ (hard sign) combine with the consonants Х (kh), Л (l), Б (b). In modern Russian, this is spelled "хлеб" without yat or final hard sign.
Old Russian Consonants (Uppercase)
Old Russian Consonants (Lowercase)
Special Signs (Yers)
Old Russian used the hard sign (Ъ) at the end of words ending in consonants, a practice abolished in 1918, saving millions of printed letters.
Abolished Letters (1918 Reform)
The four letters removed by the Soviet orthography reform: dotted і, yat (ѣ), fita (ѳ), and izhitsa (ѵ). Yat was the most significant, appearing in thousands of common words.
All Alphabet
The complete Old Russian alphabet with all 37 letters including the four abolished in 1918: і, ѣ, ѳ, ѵ.
Digits
Old Russian used Arabic numerals (0-9) in most contexts, though Cyrillic numerals also appeared in formal and religious texts.
Punctuation and Symbols
Old Russian used similar punctuation to modern Russian, with some variations in typography and the use of the hard sign.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
References:
- [1] Unicode Consortium. "Cyrillic Unicode Block (U+0400-U+04FF)". Retrieved from Unicode Cyrillic Block
- [2] Omniglot. "Russian language, alphabet and pronunciation". Retrieved from Omniglot: Russian
Sambhu Raj Singh ·