The Role of Writers in the Development of the Belarusian Language in the 19th – Early 20th Century

Abstract

Belarusian dialects have become the foundation of the contemporary Belarusian language. The role of two dialects, namely the Southwestern and the Northeastern, was greater or lesser throughout various historical periods. To a great extent, they depended on the place of birth or residence of writers who eagerly used the vocabulary of their native dialect reflecting its phonetic and morphologic features. In the 19thcentury, writers enriched the Belarusian vocabulary. However, there were no conditions in the official sphere for Belarusian language to emerge, nor was there a journal published in which the representatives of the Belarusian cultural elite could publish their works that would support the strengthening of general Belarusian features and the development of grammar and spelling norms. The grammatical-spelling rules of the early 20th century editions, in comparison with the 19th century principles, became more uniform. The randomness and inconsistency of the use of various forms were significantly reduced. It is possible to speak about the existence of certain rules of spelling that appeared as a result of publishing practices, and to which editors of published books and newspapers were faithful. These circumstances contributed to the publishing of a Belarusian Grammar for chools (1918) by Branislaŭ Taraškievič (codification), which was difficult due to the complexity and variety of the Belarusian dialects. However, the trail has already been cleared.