Of the thirty-three letters of the Russian alphabet none has caused so much controversy as the letter "E".
Many consider it unnecessary, but this letter is long and very interesting story.
letter "E" (more precisely, its use in writing) still causes heated debate.At one time almost forgotten about it, and never used (except that the alphabet and books for children);Today the use of the letter "E" is required at least in the academic literature, although in other cases the letter often replaced by "E".
letter "e" is usually absent in the cell phone button on the computer keyboard, and where it is, the corresponding button is often located outside of the main zone of the alphabetic keys.And yet ...
himself sound corresponding to this letter is now (after soft consonants) in the Russian language has been around for a long time, although the XVIII-XIX centuries.is "ёkayuschee" pronunciation of some figures considered "peasant", "middle-class" or, in any case, too folksy, in contrast to the more "noble" ecclesiastical reprimand through "E".However, in a letter to the sound for a long time I had no mark, and from the middle of the XVIII century.He recorded a pair of letters: «io».
letter "e" appeared thanks to the director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Princess Ekaterina Romanova Dashkova.November 29, 1783 (now this date can be regarded as "Happy Birthday" letter "E") held one of the first meetings of the Academy of Russian literature with the participation of Princess Ekaterina Dashkova, the writer Denis Fonvizin, poet Gavriil Derzhavin and other writers then known.During the discussion of the project of complete six-volume explanatory Slavic-Russian "Dictionary of the Russian Academy" Dashkova suddenly asked those present: "Is it right to represent one sound with two letters?" And recommended the use of sound to indicate the «io» borrowed from French symbol "E".
widely known letter "E" was because of Nikolai Karamzin, who in 1797 in one of his poems in the anthology published by them "Aoide" used the letter "E".However, it is still unclear whether it was the initiative of N. Karamzin, or someone from the typesetters (in any case, in his "History of the Russian State" Karamzin letter "E" is not used).Because of this a long time Karamzin considered the "inventor" of the letter "E" until it was found out the true history of its occurrence, and it became clear that the letter "E" used to Karamzin, Ivan Dmitriev (in his book "And my trifles", 1795;the first printed edition with "E").And the first surname ("Potёmkin") to this letter was published in 1798 in GRDerzhavina
However, despite all this, the letter "E" in the Russian alphabet was not formally incorporated (and the same applies to the letter "Q").The letter "E" contained in the "New ABC" Leo Tolstoy (1875) near the end of the alphabet, between "YAT" and "E".It was only from December 24, 1942, when the Order of People's Commissar of Education of the RSFSR № 1825 ("On the application of the letter" E "in the Russian spelling") was introduced by the mandatory use of "E" in the academic literature, this letter is received, finally, the "rights of citizenship"in the alphabet.They say that by the said order of the People's Commissariat of "a hand" is not someone, and the Joseph Stalin: that 6 December 1942 brought him to sign an order in which the names of several generals were printed through the "E" instead of "E".Stalin was very angry, and the next day all the articles of the newspaper "Pravda" appeared the letter "E".After that, with the "E" were produced virtually all of the printed edition, but the use of the later letters began to wane.
Currently, according to the letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation of 03.05.2007, the number 159-AF / 03 "On the decision of the Interdepartmental Commission of the Russian language", the letter "E" is obligatory when possible misreading of the word (for example, innames and surnames) in the text with the placed signs of stress in the books for younger children (including textbooks) and in textbooks for foreigners.In other cases, use of the letter "E" is not required.
Dmitry Usenkov
Articles Source: nkj.ru
