In 1708 Peter the Great unveiled his new so-called “civil” orthography with great fanfare and ambition, and commanded that it immediately become the standard script for non-liturgical publications. This essay explores the impact of Peter I’s orthographic reforms on literacy and literacy instruction during the first third of the eighteenth century, with special attention to the modes of learning available to the realm’s semi-literate strata. Relying on primary sources as well as the work of previous scholars, it examines three key vectors: pedagogical texts, sites and methods of teaching, and publishing history so as to determine the extent to which the new orthography, pedagogies and texts penetrated both formal and informal primary schooling. Evidence suggests the impact was minimal.
Stony Brook University, United States - ORCID: 0009-0006-9799-2019
Chapter Title
The Civil Orthography and Literacy During Peter the Great's Reign: What Really Changed?
Authors
Gary Marker
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0585-6.17
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Language and Education in Petrine Russia
Book Subtitle
Essays in Honour of Maria Cristina Bragone
Editors
Swetlana Mengel, Laura Rossi
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
442
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0585-6
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0584-9
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0585-6
Series Title
Biblioteca di Studi Slavistici
Series ISSN
2612-7687
Series E-ISSN
2612-7679