Spelling rationing experience in the Dictionary of the Russian Academy 1789–1794

This article discusses the spelling component of the fi rst academic explanatory dictionary of Russian, namely the “Dictionary of the Russian Academy” of 1789–1794, that was created in the difficult era of development of a new Russian literary language, which shaped the appearance of a nationwide spelling norm. Firstly, a general description of the spelling features of this period is given. Secondly, the consistency of the spelling concept stated in the dictionary, diffi culties in its implementation, and the achieved results are analyzed. Thirdly, the limits of spelling variation, which reflects the controversial nature of theory and practice of writing in the 18th century, are determined. Furthermore, the degree of influence of the previous theoretical works and written usage on spelling regulation are defined. In addition, diff erentiation of the spelling subsystems of the dictionary and the degree of rigidity and consistency of normative regulations depending on the word position are established. The alphabetical index to different releases of the dictionary, the headwords, and the illustrative material are discussed. Particular attention is paid to identifying the factors of choice among diff erent standardization strategies for controversial spellings, such as prefi xes in -с/з-, “unverifi able” unstressed vowels a/o in the root, vowels o/e after hushing sounds, roots -гар/гор- and -раст/рост-, combinations -ъи/ы- at the junction of the prefix and root, word-final ъ and ь after a hushing sound, ѣ in the root, -цы/ци- in the root, etc.