Spelling dictionaries of the Yakut language: Formation and current state

The spelling rules of the Yakut language cannot cover all complex cases of word spelling; therefore, their spelling is reflected in the normative spelling dictionaries of the Yakut language. The study analyzes the codified spelling dictionaries of the Yakut language. The relevance of the work is due to the contradiction between the increased attention to the situation with spelling in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the lack of a scientifically based analysis of existing editions of Yakut spelling dictionaries. The aim of this article is to study the formation and development of spelling dictionaries of the Yakut language. Based on the aim, the following objectives are supposed to be reached: coverage of the history of orthographic lexicography of the Yakut language; determination of the development trend of spelling dictionaries in the 21st century. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the spelling dictionaries of the Yakut language are studied from the standpoint of the theory and practice of compiling dictionaries, the principles of practical lexicography in the creation of Yakut spelling dictionaries are substantiated. The problem of the development and compilation of Yakut spelling dictionaries is considered. The results of the analysis and a brief description of the dictionaries are presented. The main differences between the dictionaries are investigated, the specific features of the reflection of words borrowed from Russian in Yakut spelling dictionaries of different years are highlighted in more detail. For modern Yakut spelling, the problem of spelling words borrowed from Russian has not yet been sufficiently reliably resolved. These difficulties are mainly due to the nature of the development of borrowed words in the language itself, their correlation and place in the vocabulary of the Yakut language. In the course of the study, glossaries of eight spelling dictionaries published in different years of the development of the Yakut literary language were studied. Particular attention is paid to the dictionary by P.A. Oyunsky as the first term-spelling dictionary. The features of the 2015 edition, whose purpose was to unify spelling norms and approve a single spelling regime to create optimal conditions for the functioning of the Yakut language as the state language in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), are characterized. The spelling dictionary of the Yakut language reflects a new trend in the spelling of words borrowed from Russian and somewhat increases the number of normative phonetized words. The spelling dictionaries of the Yakut language of the new period meet the requirements of the linguistic, cultural and social situation. The author declares no conflicts of interests.