The role of writing in the development of the entire human society cannot be overestimated. Even before the appearance of letters familiar to us, ancient people left various shapes on stone and rocks. At first, these were drawings, then they were replaced by hieroglyphs. Finally, a letter appeared more convenient for transmitting and understanding information. Centuries and millennia later, these symbolic signs helped restore the past of many peoples. Writing monuments played a special role in this matter: various codes of laws and official documents, literary works and memoirs of prominent people.
Today, the knowledge of the one who invented the alphabet of the Russian language is an indicator not only of the intellectual development of a person, but also determines his attitude to the country in which he was born and lives.
How it all began
In fact, the foundation for the creation of the alphabet was laid by the Phoenicians at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. They came up with consonants that they used for quite some time. Subsequently, their alphabet was borrowed and perfected by the Greeks: vowels already appeared in it. It was around the 8th century BC. e. Further, the history of the alphabet of the Russian language can be reflected in the scheme: Greek writing - Latin alphabet - Slavic Cyrillic. The latter served as the basis for the creation of writing among a number of related peoples.
The formation of the old Russian state
From the 1st century AD, the process of disintegration of the tribes inhabiting the territory of Eastern Europe and speaking the common Proto-Slavic language begins. As a result, Kievan Rus forms in the middle Dnieper region, which later became the center of a large state. It was inhabited by part of the Eastern Slavs, who eventually formed their own special way of life and customs. The story of how the Russian alphabet appeared was further developed.
A growing and strengthening state established economic and cultural ties with other countries, primarily Western European. And for this, writing was needed, especially since the first Church Slavonic books began to be brought to Russia. At the same time, weakening of paganism and the spread throughout Europe of a new religion - Christianity. It was then that an urgent need arose for the “invention” of the ABC, thanks to which a new teaching could be conveyed to all Slavs. She became Cyrillic, created by the "brothers of Solunsky."
Important mission of Constantine and Methodius
In the 9th century, the sons of a noble Solunian Greek, on behalf 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 acquaint the Slavs who inhabited Eastern Europe with the teachings of Christ and the ideas of Orthodoxy, as well as to conduct the service in the native language of the local population. The choice fell on two brothers for a reason: they had good organizational skills, showed particular zeal in school. In addition, both were fluent in Greek and
Slavic. Konstantin (shortly before his death, after being tonsured a monk, he was given a new name - Cyril, with whom he went down in history) and Methodius became the people who invented the alphabet of the Russian language. This was perhaps the most significant result of their mission in 863.
Cyrillic base
When creating the alphabet for the Slavs, the brothers used 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 that were absent from the Greeks, 19 new signs were invented. As a result, the new alphabet included 43 letters, many of which subsequently entered the alphabets of the peoples that once spoke a common language.
But the story of who invented the alphabet of the Russian language does not end there. For 9-10 centuries, two types of alphabet were common among the Slavs: the Cyrillic alphabet (mentioned above) and the Glagolitic alphabet. The second contained a smaller number of letters - 38 or 39, their writing was more difficult. In addition, the first signs were used additionally to indicate numbers.
So did Cyril invent the alphabet?
For several centuries, researchers have found it difficult to give an unambiguous answer to this question. In the "Life of Cyril" it is noted that "with the help of his brother ... and his students ... he composed the Slavic alphabet ...". If this is true, then which of the two - Cyrillic or Glagolitic - is his creation? The matter is complicated by the fact that the manuscripts made by Cyril and Methodius were not preserved, and in later (dating back to the 9th-10th centuries) none of these alphabets is mentioned.
To understand who invented the alphabet of the Russian language, scientists conducted a lot of research. In particular, they compared one and the other with the alphabets that existed before they appeared and analyzed the results in detail. They did not come to a consensus, but most agree that Cyril most likely invented the Glagolitic alphabet, and even before the trip to Moravia. In favor of this is 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 design, the letters of the Glagolitic differed to a greater extent from the Greek and have little resemblance to modern writing.
The Cyrillic alphabet, which became the basis for the Russian alphabet (az + books is the name of its first letters), could be created by one of Konstantin’s students - Kliment Ohritsky. He named it after 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.
In 988, Ancient Russia adopted Christianity, which significantly influenced the fate of the language. From this time begins the formation of their own written language. Gradually, the Old Russian language, whose alphabet is based on the Cyrillic alphabet, is being improved. It was a lengthy process that ended only after 1917. Then the last changes were made to the alphabet that we use today.
How did the Cyrillic alphabet change?
Before the Russian alphabet acquired the form that it has today, the ABC, the basic principle, underwent a number of changes. The most significant were the reforms in 1708-10 under Peter I and in 1917-18 after the revolution.
Initially, the Cyrillic alphabet, which was very reminiscent of the Byzantine script, had several extra, doublet, letters, for example, and = i, o = ѡ - they were most likely used to convey Bulgarian sounds. There were various superscripts that indicated stress, aspirated pronunciation.
Before the reign of Peter I, letters designating numbers were made out in a special way - it was he who introduced the Arabic account.
In the first reform (this was caused by the need to draw up business papers: 7 letters were removed from the alphabet: ξ (xi), Ѕ (green) and iotated vowels, I and U were added (they replaced the existing ones), ε (reverse). This greatly simplified the alphabet, and it began to be called “civilian.” In 1783, N. Karamzin added the letter E. Finally, after 1917 4 more letters disappeared from the Russian alphabet, and b (ep) and b (er) began to denote only the hardness and softness of the consonants .
The name of the letters has completely changed. Initially, each of them was a whole word, and the whole alphabet, according to many researchers, was filled with special meaning. This manifested the mind and innovative thinking of those who invented the alphabet. The Russian language has preserved the memory of the first names of letters in proverbs and sayings. For example, "start from scratch" - that is, from the very beginning; "Fita and Izhitsa - approaching a lazy whip." They are found in phraseological units: “look with a verb”.
Praise to the great saints
The creation of the Cyrillic alphabet was the greatest event for the entire Slavic world. The introduction of writing made it possible to transmit to the descendants the 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 from the ABC.”
Centuries pass, new discoveries appear. But those who invented the alphabet of the Russian language are remembered and respected. Proof of this is the holiday, Day of Slavic Writing, which is celebrated annually on May 24 around the world.