The spelling in the root of the word is a topic considered in the 5th grade of the school. However, erroneous use of roots with alternating vowels can often be found . What is the reason why it is difficult to spell, for example, the roots -zar - / - zor- or -rast - / - rash - / - ros-? The rule that is offered in the course of school spelling is aimed more at memorizing information than at its logical and etymological explanation. The matter is complicated if the rule contains exceptions - words without explanation for memorization. Moneylender Rostislav from Rostov in a growth coat is an almost complete list of exception words from the rule considered below.
The formal rule. Roots -rast-, -root-, -ros-
The rule makes it concisely that the spelling -o is used for the final -c- in the root, while the choice of spelling -a is responsible for two options: - st and - uh. The correct choice of a vowel in this case is the basis for the successful development of the Russian language, since the question affects the morpheme of primary importance - the root. It is based on the word - the first building element of the language.
Why is there a difficulty in choosing the right spelling? The reason is that the variable vowel is in an unstressed position, and therefore there is a need to formulate a rule for (-rast-, -rast-, -ros-) roots. However, simply memorizing language norms will not always be successful, unlike logical explanations that are easier to remember.
Historical features
The fact is that the alternation of roots was the result of a mixture of two languages: Old Russian, preliterate language of Russia, and Old Slavonic - the language of church books. The first refers to words with the root c -– (adolescent, tall, undergrowth), the second - c -a (plant, grow, grow).
In modern linguistics, there is a tendency to unify the root by creating a common semantic nest with the main spelling -a. In this case, the formal rule will be a support for mastering the spelling. However, there is an assumption that words with different spelling patterns are fundamentally derived from different, albeit related words.
Words with a root -ros- are closest to the past tense of the verb “grow”, for example, “he grew”. If you carefully look at the entire semantic nest of these words, the abundance of past participles and nouns with the meaning of an already completed action (adult - who has already grown, overgrown - has already grown) is striking.
For roots with a phoneme, the producer word will be the verb “grow”: age, plant.
Exceptions
However, not everything is so simple with the roots -rast-, -rast-, -ros-: the rule does not affect all words with an unstressed spelling in the root, since there are exceptions. They are not very difficult to remember if you understand them in more detail. Rostov and Rostislav belong to the category of proper names that do not obey the general laws for common nouns.
There are also exceptions for -growth, which can be explained logically and through the relationship with the word “growth”: a money-lender (the one who gives money at a percentage, that is, “in growth”), for growth (that is, for future greater growth) and sprout (a young plant that has just begun to grow).
It is worth remembering when memorizing not only the spelling -rast-, -rast-, -ros-: the rule is suitable from the formal side. Only a more detailed and detailed study of the problem will give a chance to find an adequate explanation of the rule of interest. Provided that the memorized material is logically and historically justified, it will be easier to perceive and put into memory.