Diachronic Aspects Research Articles

Фотографія й становлення фотосправи в Україні: історія та сучасність (до 180-річчя фотографії)

In the article the multi-subject phenomenon of photography, which clearly combines the fea-tures of a document, a work of art, modern technologies and a means of communication is stud-ied in the diachronic aspects using the methods of comparative analysis, systematization and generalization. It summarizes the information about the long history of photography as a form of fixation of reality, as a way of storing and transmitting information. The changes in functional and instru-mental characteristics of photography are outlined. The rapid expansion of the direction of development of photography in many Ukrainian regions as early as the late nineteenth and in the early twentieth centuries is indicated: formation of infrastructure; emergence of professional and amateur photo societies and organizations that have been active in professional and educational and promotional activities. It is proved that active photography activity formed a public request for scientific study of pho-tography, its theory formation; caused the emergence of specialized periodical photo editions (“Photo-Cinema” (1924), “Photo for Everyone” (1928-1930) and “Photo – Socialistic Construction” (1932-1934). All this contributed to the emergence of a system of professionals training in photography, formal photo education, study of photography in art educational institutions. The prerequisites and the first steps of formation of photojournalism and the system of photo genres are traced. The active participation of Ukrainian masters in production and improvement of photographic equipment is stated. It is said that in the 30’s of the twentieth century a significant step of state policy was made in development of the plants of mechanical engineering and chemical industry of Ukraine, which created the preconditions for development of photo industry. The considerable attention is paid to the major achievements of Ukrainian production of photographic equipment, first of all at the Kyiv Arsenal Factory.

ПРОИСХОЖДЕНИЕ ОТДЕЛЬНЫХ ОПЕРАТИВНО-РОЗЫСКНЫХ ТЕРМИНОВ (ИСТОРИКО-ЭТИМОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ ПОДХОД)

The aim of the research was to study the problem of the formation of the operational search language in the aspect of the development of its terminological system (in the diachronic aspect, with the analysis of lexical and semantic relations). The aim determined the choice of research methods and techniques. The selected material (more than 200 sources, including archival ones) was analyzed using a descriptive method (including the selection, description and systematization of language material); a comparativehistorical method, which allowed tracing the semantic development of operational search terms, determining the source of borrowings of the analyzed words; a contextual method based on “reading” into the text and comparing homogeneous texts; elements of word-formation analysis; an etymological method, which helped to understand the semantic development of words more deeply, to determine the source of borrowings in the studied sphere. An attempt was made to identify factors that helped to consolidate a term in the language of operational-search activities. As a result of the research, the authors (1) identified and described the thematic groups of the analyzed operational search terms, characterized the systemic relations within these groups, and (2) determined the genetic sources of the key terms and ways of their semantic transformation in the operational search sphere. The authors also attempted to identify factors that led to the emergence, consolidation and development of a certain term in the operational search (criminal investigation) language. Etymological excursions in the consideration of certain terms were used as an additional way for a deeper understanding of their semantics and structure. The leading method in the study of this problem is the provision of philosophy that every phenomenon, including language, must be considered in its historical development. The theoretical significance and practical value of this work lies in its possible application in the further study of operational search language problems, in the solving of issues of selection and presentation of certain terms in operational search dictionaries, in the teaching of the Operational-Search Activities course.

Логіко-семантичний аспект побудови стратегій розслідування

The purpose of the article consists in revealing of those semantic foundations of investigative logic, basing on which it could be possible to define the conditions of relevant application of different logical-heuristic and forensic methods, and also to outline a principal model of logical rationalization of approaches to investigative strategy building. Methodology. The method of comparative analysis is used for the exposure of sources of basic contradictions, traced in the most widespread methodological approaches to decision of the examined problem in modern literature. Based on the method of semantic analysis, the conditions of effectiveness of various logical and methodological tools in the field of investigative activities are determined. The methods of logical modeling, generalization and formalization are used during the elaboration of logical heuristic strategies and algorithms of investigative optimization. Scientific novelty. There’s been studied the logical and semantic foundations of the relevant application of heuristic search methods in the construction of investigation strategies. Besides, a logical model of optimization of such strategies is proposed, which is based on the mechanisms of mutual coordination of synchronic and diachronic aspects of the analysis of reproduced events. Conclusions. The construction of an effective investigation strategy involves, first of all, the development of a general model of organization of heuristic search activities. Such a model should be understood not as a “universal tool” that eliminates the need for other general and special methods, but as a methodological foundation of their system-coordinated application. The logic of rationalization of investigative actions, which is the basis of the mentioned model, should be focused on achieving the functional unity of its synchronic and diachronic aspects. The effective means of optimizing strategies and methods of investigation are connected with a combinational approach that provides a significant and timely narrowing of the search range, regarding the conditions of compatibility and achievability of the analyzed situations in the context of the available evidence. Keywords: investigative methodology; semantic bases of logical methods; logic of investigation; investigative strategy; logical analysis of versions; synchronic and diachronic aspects of search analysis; logical criteria of provability; technology of logical arrangement of investigation.

НРАВСТВЕННО-ЭТИЧЕСКИЙ ПОТЕНЦИАЛ ЯЗЫКА БИЗНЕСА В МЕТАФОРИЧЕСКОМ ОТРАЖЕНИИ КАРТИНЫ МИРА ЭКОНОМИКИ

The article analyzes the relationship between the concepts of “morality” and “business” in the diachronic aspect. It is noted that the economic processes inevitably come into contact with the concept of “spirituality”. Attention is paid to the reflection of the moral and ethical potential of the language of business through the use of anthropocentric metaphors and metaphors based on religious, mythological and historical symbols. With the help of these models, the language of economics receives moral and ethical expression and includes the components of spirituality. The role of metaphors in ensuring the relationship of the world of economics with moral and ethical values of modern society is shown.

Phonetic Features of Sound-Copying Words Based on the Archival Materials

This article is investigating sound composition of the onomatopoeic words in the Kyrgyz language from synchronous and diachronic aspects. Phonetic features and the order of sounds in the words composition were studied. Content of archival materials for creation of a dictionary of onomatopoeic words is discussed. The purpose of this work is to study the use of vowels and consonants in speech and the words mimicry of Kyrgyz language. Linguistic phenomenon is important in enriching the vocabulary of particular language; for this purpose, archival materials on the active use of vowels and consonants in different positions of onomatopoeic words were described.

УКРАЇНСЬКА ВІЙСЬКОВА ЛЕКСИКА: ДІАХРОНІЯ МОВОЗНАВЧИХ СТУДІЙ

Діахронічний аналіз вивчення української військової лексики показав, що зазначена система має багатий науковий і лексикографічний доробок, який ще повною мірою не досліджений і не осмислений. Потребує розробки фахова сфера військової науки, оскільки сучасна військова термінологія обслуговує розгалужену систему служб і підрозділів, що виявляють зумовлену сферою діяльності специфіку, розвиваються самостійно й формують власні термінологічні тезауруси. Зазначено нагальність опису термінології Національної поліції України, укладання фахових словників і покажчиків. Ключові слова: діахронія, українська військова лексика, українська військова термінологія, фаховий словник, Національна поліція України.

Фонетические особенности чалканского языка (на материалах В. В. Радлова, Н. А. Баскакова и современных полевых записей)

The paper describes the phonetic correlations found in the records done by V. V. Radlov (1866–1907), N. A. Baskakov (1934–1952), and modern Chalkan records (2010–2019). We show certain phonetic shifts that have taken place since the middle of the 19th century: spirantization of labial consonants in the inlaut; the shifts in consonants: j-č-t’; elimination of the auslaut -ғ (-ɣ). Graphic correlations are also shown in anlaut: p- (mid-19th century), b- (mid-20th century), p- (early 21st century). The text analysis in the diachronic aspect allowed us to assume that the anlaut grapheme “b” in the texts of N. A. Baskakov is not a confirmation of the presence of the corresponding sound [b] in the language of the Chalkans of the beginning of the 20th century. The use of the analog sound [p] instead of [b] is evidenced by the materials of V. V. Radlov. N. A. Baskakov most likely used the grapheme “b” in his texts to reflect Chalkan speech at the beginning of the 20th century by analogy with other Turkic closely related languages in which this sound is present. Graphic correlations are also shown in inlaut: -џ- (mid-19th century), -dž- / -ž- (mid-20th century), -ž- / -š’- (early 21st century). Graphic variations stem from the fact that the Chalkan language remains unwritten to this day, and for the transmission of national speech, researchers and native speakers use graphics of written Altai and Russian languages, adapting it to the features of their speech.

Современная традиционалистская проза в рецепции журнала «Октябрь»

Purpose. This article highlights the main trends in the analysis and evaluation of village prose by critics of the journal October, which occupies one of the leading places in the series of journalism criticism of the liberal camp. The material for the study was articles published from 1980s to the present, which also allows us to consider the analysis of modern traditionalist prose by criticizing the October in the diachronic aspect. Results. The characteristic features of the liberal criticism are its non-ideological character, analyticity, universality and text centricity. In interpreting “village” prose, the focus of liberal critics shifts from the system of value guidelines and ideas broadcast by this group of writers to the peculiarities of its poetics and cultural context. In the 1980s the place of “village” prose in a number of works of modernity is being actively investigated. It was perceived as literature focused on a “simple” person, to his personality and his soul, focused on the moral issues of life and showing some ideals, role models in the era of the crisis of the spiritual principle in literature. Its philosophical and moral character, the ability to pose the most important issues of our time, to rethink historical events, in particular the events of collectivization, are noted and appreciated. Interest in it fades away with the beginning of the 1900s, when “village” prose begins to be associated with the era of stagnation, and the writers themselves are accused of excessive conservatism and extreme nationalism. In the 2000s, appeals to “village” prose were single and related to the development of the “new realism” trend, which reveals common ground with the artistic phenomenon that we are considering. Conclusion. In the 1980s, the status of “village” prose is rated quite high. It is considered in a number of contemporary artistic trends, such as confession, ontology, appeal to people. Her journalism and topicality are highly appreciated. In the 1990s the situation is changing: for the criticism of the October “village” prose becomes irrelevant. This trend holds true today.

Root morphemes of greek-latin origin in the process of contamination

In the article the author analyzes unique iterative fragments in the complex of contaminated words of the French language, which have a stable character and regularly repeat in the words of different denotative attributions. In the role of iterative fragments the word-forming root morphemes of Greek-Latin origin, word-formants, isolated from the fragments of full-valued words, which are merged as a result of deliberate or spontaneous truncation in the process of contamination, are also used in the contamination. An important factor, as the author notes, is that Greek-Latin formants, being involved in the process of contamination, act as one of the components in combination with another component-a fragment of a truncated full-valued word, and become components of the original compound word, the meaning of which they represent. Observations and significant conclusions are contained in V.M. Leichik's article called «About a non-researched way of word composition in modern French» (1966)which investigates historical roots of French words composing and describes contamination in diachronic aspect in old and middle French. Thus, the appearance of contaminated units is associated with the need to strengthen the semantics of words that exist in the language, give the neoplasms a peculiar, ambiguous charge of semantic capacity, replenish the language with stylistically brightly colored words that express a whole range of connotative signs.

Арабские и персидские заимствования в татарском языке в диахронном и синхронном аспектах (на примере зоонимов)

Арабские и персидские заимствования в татарском языке в диахронном и синхронном аспектах (на примере зоонимов)

Автор и нарратор в истории русской литературы

The correlation between the author and narrator figures is considered not only theoretically, but in the diachronic aspect for the first time, as historically changed from Karamzin to Vodolazkin. The syncretism of these narrative instances in Karamzin’s prose was replaced by their radical segregation by Pushkin in playing forms of “image of the author” or the unreliable narrator (like Belkin), that leads to the emergence of an implicit authorial instance. The Great Russian classics (with the exception of “War and Peace”) refuse the “image of the author”, gives to the implicit authorship the status of a representation of the being truth. The crisis of classical authorship at the turn of the 19 th and 20 th centuries gives rise to various modifications in symbolism, in “ornamental” prose, in socialist realism, in postmodernism. The article also deals with the issue of creative reconstruction of the classical opposition in the works by Bulgakov, Pasternak, during The Thaw in 1960s and in modern Russian prose.

Proper names derivatives as a diachronic aspect of textology

Proper names derivatives as a diachronic aspect of textology

ДО ПИТАННЯ ІСТОРІЇ ПЕРЕКЛАДІВ СЕРБСЬКОЇ ПРОЗИ В УКРАЇНІ: ДІАХРОНІЧНИЙ АСПЕКТ

The research is dedicated to the coverage of a diachronic aspect’s adoption of Serbian prose in the Ukrainian literature, especially the establishment and development of translation as one of the main forms of Serbian-Ukrainian cultural exchange. The beginning of interrelation between Serbian and Ukrainian culture comes into the circle of the researcher’s attention, and in this context – the beginning of Ukrainian writer’s translation practice, the first translations of Serbian prose are investigated. The special emphasis in the article is made on the Serbian translation works in the period from the 60s of the 19th century to the end of the 80s of the 20th century. This period of time is characterized by the works of V. Đorđević, L. Lazarević, O. Voinović, N. Marinković, V. Marinović, D. Kalić, B. Nušić, I. Andrić, B. Čopić, R. Domanović, S. Sremec, E. Koš, M. Kapor, M. Selimović. The dynamics of determinatives that influenced the translation works of Serbian fiction are investigated: from the effect of ideological criteria at the beginning of the 20th century in the conditions of created USSR to poetical, substantial and esthetical factors in the 70s-80s of the 20th century. The fiction of Serbian writers that was translated during this long-lasting period because of Pleiades of Ukrainian translators’ highly-professional work became a full-sized part of the Ukrainian literature process and got further literature understanding in the works of Ukrainian Slavicists.

Хроностратиграфия памятников «плоскодонного» неолита Западной Сибири

Purpose. The article outlines three large provinces on the Asian territory of Russia which determine morphology of Neolithic ceramic ware (Amour River region and border areas of Far East and Pacific Ocean islands; Trans-Baikal region and Eastern Siberia, Western Siberia). Western Siberia is a territory where, in the Neolithic Age, such traditional shapes as round-, point- and flat-bottomed ones were spread. At the same time, inside the region, two areas – Western (trans-Ural and North-Western regions of Barabinskaya forest-steppe) and Eastern (Barabinskaya forest-steppe, high Ob area, including forest-steppes of Altai, and its foothills, and Kuznetsk basin) are outlined. If in the western part two traditions have been determined, in the eastern part, only one tradition – round-bottomed ceramic ware, has been found so far. Morphological specifics of ceramic assemblages of the Neolithic in the trans-Ural region caused a polemic in solving the issue of their cultural and chronological attribution. The stratified sites of Andreevskaya Lake System were the base of the main line of reasoning. The article presents a critical analysis bringing into question the use of stratified sites of Andreevskaya Lake System Neolithic as the reference. Results. The article suggests that the research of Taiga area sites, in particular Kondinskaya lowland, is the best approach to solve the main issues of flat-bottomed Neolithic of trans-Ural region in the actual conditions. In spite of its poor state of knowledge, the North of Western Siberia shows a relative stability of cultural tradition development. Synchronic and diachronic aspects of a zoned existence of round, pointed and flat bottomed Neolithic ceramic assemblages in the Taiga zone of Western Siberia is presented. Conclusion. The paper analyses the stratigraphic situations on the sites and objects in North-West Baraba (Tartas-1, Ust-Tartas, Avtodrom-1 and 2) which proves the early age of the Neolithic assemblages with flat-bottomed ware. This allowed to draw the conclusion about the identical development processes in the Neolithic of Trans-Ural and Baraba.

"He Constructed a Language L and Another LL": Diachronic Aspects of Tolkien's Early Philology

"He Constructed a Language L and Another LL":Diachronic Aspects of Tolkien's Early Philology Christopher Gilson (bio) On November 29, 1931, J.R.R. Tolkien read the essay he called A Secret Vice to the Samuel Johnson Society at Pembroke College, Oxford. In it he presented his ideas about the invention of private languages, the reasons that people make them, and the different kinds that can be made, ranging from simple word-for-word codes closely based on one's native speech to elaborate art-languages with their own sound-patterns and rules of inflexion and syntax. Tolkien exemplified all of this with samples from the invented languages he had learned from other children, shared in making, or invented on his own, the last including the Qenya and Noldorin that he imagined to be spoken by the elves and gnomes in the private mythology that he had also invented. Among the motives for language invention that Tolkien discussed in the essay, in connection with the description of an earlier private language Naffarin, he appealed to "pleasure in articulate sound, and in the symbolic use of it, independent of communication though constantly in fact entangled with it" (Vice 18). This was similar to what Tolkien would write much later to W. H. Auden, when asked for "human touches" about how The Lord of the Rings came to be written (Letters 211) , explaining that he was mostly aware of his own "linguistic conditioning" and that his learning Gothic was decisive to this because he "discovered in it not only modern historical philology, which appealed to the historical and scientific side, but for the first time the study of a language out of mere love: I mean for the acute aesthetic pleasure derived from a language for its own sake, not only free from being useful but free even from being the 'vehicle of a literature'" (Letters 213). That Tolkien recognized his pleasure in both Naffarin and Gothic to be separate from but entangled with their use in speech or writing suggests that the impulse he felt to devise words to fill in the gaps in the attested Gothic vocabulary must have been connected or came to be intermingled with his urge to create new languages. Tolkien shared his linguistic predilections, at least to some extent, with his schoolmate Christopher Wiseman, who later recalled: [End Page 75] Reading Homer with Cary Gilson sparked off in me what in Tolkien was already well alight, an interest in Philology. In fact John Ronald got to the point where he constructed a language L and another LL representing what L had become after a few centuries.1 In this paper I will take a closer look at what these recollections by Tolkien and Wiseman imply about Tolkien's creative activities while at school and during the following decade, considering how the invention of multiple languages ranging from Naffarin to Qenya and Noldorin intersected with each other, and how they were influenced by his study of languages such as Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Gothic, Finnish, and Welsh. I hope that examining the origins of the family of languages attributed to the Elves in the personal mythology he eventually constructed may contribute to understanding the extent to which this was (as he later said of The Lord of the Rings) "an attempt to create a world in which a form of language agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real" (Letters 264). Naffarin Tolkien recorded the only surviving example of Naffarin to illustrate how its invention reflected his "phonetic taste in individual phonemes" at that time, and he noted in particular certain sounds of English "(w, þ, š, ž, etc.)" that were intentionally absent from Naffarin.2 O Naffarínos cutá vu navru cangorluttos ca vúna tiéranar,dana maga tíer ce vru encá vún' fartaonce ya merúta vúna maxt' amámen. He explained that in constructing this language "the influences—outside English, and beyond a nascent purely individual element—are Latin and Spanish, in sound-choices and combinations, in general word form" (Vice 20). This can be seen in the first line of the poem where for instance the relation of Naffar...

АКСІОЛОГІЧНІ ДОМІНАНТИ В ЕПІСТОЛЯРІЇ МІХАЛА ГРАБОВСЬКОГО 40-Х – 50-Х РОКІВ ХІХ СТОЛІТТЯ

This article is devoted to integrated research into correspondence of polish literary man M. Grabovskyj, analyzed literary and philosophic views of master in a diachronic aspect, his axiological priorities according to the periods of creation and philosophic views of figure.For the first time it is the attempt of new valuation of his achievements and intentions, consideration and description epistolary heritage of M. Grabovskyj, which include theoretical-literary dialogues with the famous polish artists of XIX c.In his enormous array of letters there are the conceptual reasoning and estimations of both work of separate writers and of that timeliterary process. The looks of writer were constantly evolved.The period of 40th – 50th ages of XIX c. is characterized by correlations of the own theory of romanticism, ambiguousness of communicative structure. Grabovskyj comprehended the nomenclature of texts of romantic canon.The letters of М. Grabovskyj, that became the article of independent analysis first, substantially specify presentation in the relation to his literary-aesthetic program realized in the articles. In that correspondences, especially in those that are addressed to the closest friends he was frank and formulated the positions laconically and clearly. In the letters of artist it is legitimate to see continuation of critical articles. In accordance with the vital looks of the critic, for every catholic there must be a few rules, that, according to his opinion, have to serve an original postulate for every christian. He expounded also an optimistic confidence that everything may change, but not a a few vital positions required to remain permanent during the whole life.

Desacralization of the Word MAN in the Russian Language and its Spiritual Potential

The processes of desacralization and secularization, taking placein the Russian literary language over the three preceding centuries and nowadays, have caused significant changes in its lexical system. However, the language preserves lexical units with internal spiritual potential. They carry the genetic memory of the meanings of the past. One of these words, in our opinion, is the lexeme man . The article presents the results of analysing the semantic structure of the word man in the diachronic aspect. The analysis is based on the explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language, which include the vocabulary of different centuries, as well as etymological dictionaries. This study is carried out in order to reveal hidden sacral meanings in the semantics of the word. The method of generalization (unification) of dictionary definitions was used as the main research method. The lexical meanings of the word man were examined in different periods of its functioning, primarily in the language of the XIX-XX centuries. In our research, we based on the works of Russian linguists studying this problem. Sacred meanings in the semantic structure of the word man were revealed by comparing etymological and word-formation features of the lexemes man and people drawn upon minimal contexts from the texts of the Holy Scriptures. Despite the secularization of the semantic structure of the studied lexical unit, namely the actualization of the meaning of ‘personality as an exemplar of high moral and intellectual qualities’ and the loss of the meaning of ‘creature worthy of this name’, taking into account the degrees of humanity according to V.I. Dal such as‘a fleshy, deadman’, ‘aman of feelings and nature’, ‘a spiritual man’, ‘a blessed man’, it retained its spiritual potentialat the etymological level.

Magic Folk Tales in Intersemiotic Translation

The present paper examines intersemiotic translation of magic folk tales. Research objective is to show the structural identity of the surface structure which can be described as a sequence of plot elements (“functions”) of fairy-tale characters; in semiotic terms it is explained by the existence of a universal matrix defining the law of genre. The authors go on to the cognitive-culturological aspect of fairy tales in terms of N. Chomsky. This research paper has clearly shown that “functions” of the surface structures correspond to plans, scenarios and frames of the deep structures, which differ in British and Russian magic fairy folk tales (wonder folk tales). Numbers and proper names are the main permanent elements of fairy tale narrative: on the level of the surface structures they connect the universal matrix of a fairy tale discourse organizing space and rhythm and at the level of the deep structures - they help to understand the main features of the national character. The study is based on 13 fairy-tale film corpus, under the common theme “Beauty and the Beast”, film adaptations of the fairy tales “La Belle et la Bête” by J.-M. Leprens de Beaumont (1757) and “The Scarlet Flower” by S.T. Aksakov (1858). Hence, the analysis of the latter based on the works of R. Jacobson and W. Eco and understood by the authors as a kind of intersemiotic translation / interpretation that, on the one hand, proves universality of the proposed algorithm for studying fairy discourse in synchrony and diachrony. On the other hand, it plays the most important role in intersemiotic translation of diachronic aspect because it deals with changing the “integral model of reality”, which is reflected, in particular, in changing the on-screen presentation / interpretation of certain aspects of the fairy-tale narrative. Finally, it is worth pointing out that the conclusions can be used to study plurality of film adaptation as a form of intersemiotic translation.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LEXICAL SEMANTIC FIELD “GESTICULATION”

The article is dedicated to the study of the structure of the lexical semantic field “gesticulation” in the explanatory dictionaries of the English language. The article deals with semiotic aspect of correlation of verbal and paraverbal codes in human communication. Verbalization of a kineme has been studied. The lexical-semantic field is characterized by a number of systemic features both in the synchronous aspect (the semantic correlation of lexemes, the presence of hyponyms and hyperonyms), and in the diachronic aspect (a certain set of repeatedly implemented motivational models, repeatability of word-formation models, repeatability of producing etymological nests generating field vocabulary). The research material was a selection of 5 dictionaries of modern English. All components of the specified field are in hypo-hyperonymic relationships with the key unit of the field, namely with the nomination gesture. Kineme is treated as a proto-sign, which semantic structure comprises three obligatory semantic knots, i. e. “what is moving”, “how it is moving”, “what for it is moving”. Lexicographically registered verbal kinemes constitute language lexico-semantic field “gesticulation”. The first two knots reflect the formal component of the protosign (gesture kinetics), and the third knot reflects the semantic component of the kineme (meaning of the gesture). Nuclear-peripheral structure of the field in the language subordinates to the semantic principle of hyper-hyponymical relations among its constituents. The prospect of further research is the analysis of the functioning of this lexical semantic field in the artistic discourse.

ПРОБЛЕМЫ УПОТРЕБЛЕНИЯ ПРОПИСНЫХ БУКВ В ЯКУТСКОМ ЯЗЫКЕ

The article examines the problem of using capital letters in the Yakut language, in particular, the spelling of proper names and geographical names, names of official institutions. The works of the first Yakut linguists from 1917 till nowadays serve as the research material. Difficulties and contradictions in the use of capital letters are described both in synchronic and diachronic aspects. The continuity of traditions of spelling two-component geographical names is traced. The paper identifies the causes of newspaper mistakes in spelling proper names, describes possible trends of the Yakut orthography development, ways to improve the culture of the Yakut speech in the mass media.