The World Russian People's Council appealed to the government of the Russian Federation with a request to consider “the long-standing issue of the abnormal status of the letter Yoyo in Russian writing”
In 2007, the World Russian People's Council appealed to the government of the Russian Federation with a request to consider “the long-standing issue of the abnormal status of the letter Yoyo in Russian writing.” The Russian alphabet still has not 32, but 33 letters...
Member of the Writers' Union of Russia, editor of the magazine "National Education", member of the interdepartmental commission on the Russian language Viktor Chumakov - Oleg Dusaev
The leadership of our country declared this year the Year of the Russian Language.Is it correct?
More than right. At the last XI World Russian People's Council, the pain for the state of affairs in the Russian language was heard in full. I also performed there and was signed up seventh. We all had some kind of separate topic. One woman, for example, is worried that the country is called “Russian Federation”, it torments her, and she believes that the country should be called “Russia”. Many spoke out against the contamination of our vocabulary with foreign, mainly English words; and really, why do we need the stupid and unnecessary word “summit”? You can say “summit meeting”. Why do we constantly hear swear words? It is necessary to put a police barrier to this: he said a swear word in public - and he must suffer administrative punishment. The police also, unfortunately, use foul language. They swear openly. And not only is obscenity heard on the street, but they also go on air with obscene speeches!
Whose fault is it in this outrage, Viktor Trofimovich?
It's the government's fault, of course! In accordance with the law on Russian as a state language, all these issues must be resolved by the government headed by the Prime Minister. It was in connection with the plight of the letter “e” that I turned to the prime minister for support. He turned to the Church Council, headed by His Holiness Alexy II, also for support. But, of course, the prime minister should decide all this. And this government decree should be published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
You are a member of the interdepartmental commission on the Russian language.What does this commission do?
It must deal with problems whose solution would improve the position of the Russian language in our country. So that it is widely distributed throughout the world, so that materials, manuals, and dictionaries are published. To improve the teaching of the Russian language not only for Russians, but also for non-native Russian speakers. Unfortunately, not all members of the interdepartmental commission believe that all 33 letters of our alphabet are equal; some, alas, believe that the letter “e” should remain discriminated against - this, of course, is nonsense and stupidity.
But Ushakov’s dictionary indicates that the Russian language has 32 letters, not 33.
This is, of course, some kind of misunderstanding. After the reform of 1917-1918, we have 33 letters, and you can look this up in any reference book or encyclopedia. I’m not ready to comment on Ushakov. For me, all my life, and I, thank God, am 74, there have always been 33 letters in the Russian alphabet!
Some people accuse you of being too aggressive.It seems that, apart from discrimination against the letter “ё,” there are no other problems in the Russian language.
Everyone tells me (I mean my supporters, and there are many of them): “It’s so good that there is one person who is actively and vividly dealing with the issue of one letter.” If this had not happened, nothing would have happened at all, which is now associated with the colossal advancement and victory of the letter “e” on the printed pages of our country - and even the world! I have been dealing with this issue for 12 years. Now, sorry to everyone I offended, there is no result without aggression and some shocking behavior. Even my wife says to me: “Is this possible?” - in the sense that some people sometimes have to be stopped very sharply. Doctors of science are offended, proofreaders are offended. I tell them: you are lazy, completely illiterate people - you forget that our alphabet consists of 33 letters. Why cross out the letter "e"? These are all the fruits of Russian sloppiness and carelessness. The State Duma prints the letter “e”, while others pretend that this letter does not exist at all!
Do I understand correctly that, in your opinion, discrimination against the letter “ё” is one of the most important problems of the Russian language?
It is very important! Especially due to the fact that every year the number of words in the Russian language using the letter “ё” is increasing and increasing. If in the 19th century there were no more than 2 thousand words with the letter “е”, then by 1945 there were about 8 thousand words with the letter “е”, and now there are 12.5 thousand. And it's getting bigger. The letter “е” is a generative letter; it itself stimulates and provokes the birth of new words.
Who erased this letter from the Russian language?
No, it is not erased and has never been erased! I talk about this constantly. They hardly notice it... But they understand that it is impossible without it, otherwise how to distinguish between “all” and “everything”, “sky” and “palate”, “bucket” and “bucket”, “glands” and “glands”, “let’s take a break” and “let’s take a break”? Have you already found support among government officials and church leaders? Yes, fortunately! On May 15, 2006, Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk presented me with a special diploma from the Russian Orthodox Church for this. Some people say that the Church is against the letter “e”, but this is just a legend, sheer nonsense! And Minister Andrei Fursenko believes that the letter “e” should always be printed and written. General Valentin Chernyavsky announced that from February 1, 2006, the State Duma will print the letter “ё” in all documents. And everyone, sorry for the jargon, wiped it off. Although some typists there were unhappy. But the general said it, Gryzlov approved it - and that’s it, please, everyone writes. On the website of the President of the Russian Federation, which is run by people who are not very knowledgeable in Russian spelling, the letter “ё” is not tracked. But there is a section for schoolchildren, where everything is fine with the letter “e”. There is even such a character as Alyonka.
Maybe punish people for not using the letter “е”?
If the Prime Minister signs the resolution, it will acquire the status of a state order, and then responsibility for it will arise. The main controller will be conscience. But still, if some newspaper prints something without the letter “e”, then it will be possible to sue for moral damages. This is a moment of mental trauma, a violation of the law on protecting the rights of consumers who bought a defective product.
