What is spelling? Everyone asks this question at school. However, it is very difficult to understand to the full what is inside this concept. Let's try to understand.
So, spelling is called the set of rules that determine the rules for the transmission of words and sentences on a letter using a system of signs. The main function of spelling is the creation of common rules in writing words for each person in order to make communication understandable to other native speakers of a particular language. Since orthography appeared simultaneously with writing, it is the writing that influences its basic rules. Spelling in different languages is built on different principles - on phonetic, morphological and semantic, but more on this later.
History of Russian spelling
To better understand what spelling of the Russian language is, you need to learn a few facts from its history. The basis of modern Russian graphics is the Cyrillic alphabet, which was used by the ancient Slavs. According to legends, the Cyrillic alphabet was invented by the Greek missionary in order to preach Christianity in the Slavic countries. Later, the Cyrillic alphabet began to write manuscripts. In the 18th century, Peter the Great came up with a civil alphabet, later, in 1917, a spelling reform took place. A few decades later, in 1956, new rules were ordered - "Rules of Russian spelling and punctuation."
What is spelling: the principles of spelling
1) Morphological principle. It consists in establishing a general writing of specific morphemes, regardless of the phonetic differences in their pronunciation. This principle is distinguished by a high level of meaningfulness. Such spelling is considered more perfect and more promising than others. Note that the Russian spelling is built on the basis of the morpheme principle.
2) The phonetic principle. This character of the construction of spelling is focused on pronunciation. Words, according to him, are written as they are pronounced. The general spelling can be achieved by the general designation of specific sounds. If the language is built on the basis of such spelling, it is very difficult to follow the pronunciation on the letter. There is an opinion that every person hears the word in his own way, so if the spelling is based only on the phonetic principle, it is almost impossible to achieve its uniformity.
3) The historical principle. According to him, you need to write as you wrote before, that is, this principle of spelling can be called traditional.
There is also a differentiating principle, which is to distinguish in writing what is not different when pronounced. It is used very rarely when distinguishing homonyms or homophones, for example.
Today you can check the spelling of the text even on the Internet. The system of rules for writing words has long been ordered, and specialists have created a huge number of programs that can help prevent errors. Basic spelling rules can also be found in Russian textbooks, which, perhaps, were not very interesting in school times. Read them again from cover to cover, read this article, and the question "what is spelling" will disappear once and for all.