On the relevance of the functional approach to the modern Russian language orthography

Abstract

The article deals with the principles of analysis and description of the Russian language based on the functional approach. The aim of the study is to identify the role of orthography in society and language, and the features characterizing the implementation of the general patterns of language units’ functions (graphemes, phonemes, morphemes), which determine the formation of orthography principles. Taking into account modern linguistic theory, we demonstrate, based on the mechanism for implementing positional variants of language units, the regularities of applying the morphological principle not only to the way individual morphemes are written, but also to the structure of the Russian language as a whole. In this regard, we propose to consider orthography not as a set of rules, but as the most important means of maintaining the unity of the oral and written forms of the language. Thus, we conclude that literacy is not limited to observing the norms of the literary language, orthography norms reflect the desire to most adequately reflect the standard of its units (morphemes) in the written form of the language existence, and this must be taken into account when forming a system of orthography rules. Accordingly, orthography, as one of the most important components in the Russian language learning, should be taught through the prism of a reference image formation of a certain circle of words whose knowledge determines the level of literacy.