Captions to Images of Saints: Spelling of Proper Nouns

The article deals with the spelling of proper nouns on popular engravings (lubok, pl. lubki) and on icons of the 17^th–19^th centuries. In the 17^th century, as a result of the editing of church books, the spelling of proper nouns was normalized in accordance with the Greek orthography. Proper nouns are also subject to these rules in modern liturgical books. One could assume that proper nouns would be spelled in the exact same way on icons (engraved and painted) where such nouns accompany the images of saints. However, this is not true. The spelling of proper nouns obeys book rules neither on popular engravings, nor on icons. Thus, letters of Greek origin (such as ѯ, ѱ, ѵ) may be changed to кс /ks/, пс /ps/, и /i/ or в /v/. The letters ф and ѳ are used interchangeably, their spelling does not depend on etymology, as is also the case with ҍ and е, which are Slavic in origin. Such spelling features are also characteristic of both inscriptions on icons and captions to engraved images of saints. Therefore, in lubok tradition and on icons, proper nouns are not in compliance with the Church Slavonic orthographic norm. Such spelling can be correlated with the handwritten practice of the 17^th century, which was partly preserved in subsequent times. The orthography remained quite liberal in handwritten texts of the 18^th century and even in those of the first half of the 19^th century. In this regard, icons and lubki are similar to letters and personal documents of the 18^th century. The spelling rules used in the printing of liturgical books were only used by professional proofreaders and editors.

Keywords

orthography, Church Slavonic, lubok, popular writing, proper noun, inscriptions on icons, correction of service books

Received

12.12.2021

Publication date

12.12.2021

Number of characters

17850

Cite

GOST	Pletneva A. Captions to Images of Saints: Spelling of Proper Nouns // Russkaya Rech’ – 2021. – Issue 5 C. 95-107 [Electronic resource]. URL: http://ras.jes.su/rusrech/s013161170017242-5-1-en (circulation date: 07.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013161170017242-5
MLA	Pletneva, Alexandra "Captions to Images of Saints: Spelling of Proper Nouns." Russkaya Rech’ 5 (2021):95-107. DOI: 10.31857/S013161170017242-5
APA	Pletneva A. (2021). Captions to Images of Saints: Spelling of Proper Nouns. Russkaya Rech’ (5), pp.95-107 DOI: 10.31857/S013161170017242-5

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 593

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Rovinskij D. A. Russkie narodny`e kartinki. T. III. SPb.: Tipografiya Imperatorskoj akademii nauk, 1881.

2. Sokolov D. D. Spravochnaya knizhka po cerkovnoslavyanskomu pravopisaniyu. SPb.: Redakciya zhurnala «Narodnoe obrazovanie», 1907. 40 s.

3. Gal'chenko M. G. Nadpisi na drevnerusskikh ikonakh XII–XV vv. [Inscriptions on ancient Russian icons 12th–15th centuries]. Moscow, 1997. 167 p.

4. Kusmaul' S. M. Stanovlenie orfograficheskikh norm tserkovnoslavyanskogo yazyka vo vtoroi polovine XVI – pervoi polovine XVII v.: diss. kand. fil. nauk [The formation of orthographic norms of the Church Slavonic language in the second half of the 16th – first half of the 17th century]. Moscow, 2018. 321 p.

5. Kusmaul' S. M. [Formation of the principles of Church Slavonic spelling in the 17th century]. Russkii yazyk v nauchnom osveshchenii, 2019, no. 2 (38), pp. 121–148. (In Russ.)

6. Osipov B. I. Sud'by russkogo pis'ma [The fate of Russian writing]. Moscow, Omsk, 1995. 319 p.

7. Pletneva A. A. Lubochnaya bibliya. Yazyk i tekst [Engraved Bible (lubok). Language and text]. Moscow, 2013. 392 p. (In Russ.)

8. Pletneva A. A. [Cheap popular reprints of newspaper texts (lubok): addressing orthographic consistency of lubok]. Russkii yazyk v nauchnom osveshchenii, 2016, no. 2 (32), pp. 206–226. (In Russ.).

9. Sakovich A. G. Narodnaya gravirovannaya kniga Vasiliya Korenya 1692‒1696 [Folk engraved book by Vasily Koren, 1692‒1696]. Moscow, 1983. 81 p.

10. Uspenskii B. A. Istoriya russkogo literaturnogo yazyka (XI–XVII vv.) [History of the Russian literary language (11th–17th centuries)]. Moscow, 2002. 558 p.

11. Zaliznyak A. A. Drevnenovgorodskii dialekt [The Ancient Novgorod dialect]. Moscow, 1995. 720 p.