Beware the letter "Yo"! Why Officials Can't Solve This Spelling Problem

The well-known Russian journalist and author and host of popular radio programs about the Russian language, Marina Korolyova, became a “victim” of her own surname. And one of the main Russian fasteners is to blame - the letter Yo, to which even a monument was erected in Russia... Here is what Korolyova writes in her blog:

“About our letter Y.

Until now, I have somehow managed to avoid the adventures associated with Yo in my last name - Korolyova / Korolevs (which means Queen in Russian language - editor's note). I must say, I tried very hard to follow the uniformity of writing, because I heard a lot of different stories.

But my hour has come: when one of the documents was drawn up, an automatic refusal came, without explanation. For explanations, it was necessary to come personally to the MFC. (…)

Why refusal, I ask? And here you are: here you are the Korolyova, and in public services you are the Koroleva. And the man in the window and I began to sign various statements and correct E for YO. By the way, in the next window, something similar happened: but there the woman, almost crying, explained that "and so we moved, and my mother was born in the war, and there was a bombing, and how can I prove that E, and not YO"...

I listened to all this - and I want to turn to my colleagues: dear Spelling Commission, let's do something already, huh? I have dealt with the problem today, although you never know where it will pop up again. But how many more such owners of surnames and names with the letter Yo! .. And documents in the pre-digital era were really issued anyhow, I know from my parents.

I remember that I myself advised referring to a certain order of the Ministry of Education of 2012, where it was recommended to perceive E and Yo in surnames as valid options. But no, this document is a) old, b) does not have the necessary force.

We need a simple, clear, clear - at the level of the Spelling Commission and the government commission on the Russian language ... "

Fyodorov, Semyonov, Nataly and many others have similar problems

No matter how funny it sounds, but the problem with the letter Yo is really very common and unpleasant for its “carriers, and not only in Russia. Here are just a few responses to this post:

- And we have problems with Fyodor - he was recorded in the Russian passport by Fedor and in the foreign one he is Fedor, that is, Fidor! In Israel, he decided to change his name, became Theodore.

- Did our Semyon become Simon? That's because of this yo. In the foreign passport he was recorded as Semen. Not Semyon, not Semion, but namely Semen, and we really did not want a person to go into the world with the name "sperm" (the English word semen is translated into Russian as sperm, - ed. note) and changed the name to Simon.

- A separate topic about E and Yo in legal documents is in the "Written Speech of a Lawyer". Previously, only E was also in the PFR database (now I don’t know if it was fixed or not). And in Belarus they refused to take into account our pension experience for the owners of Y. In addition, they began to write Koroleva in passports, which does not coincide with loans and all sorts of bonus cards. I will keep silent about documents for foreign real estate and business, who have them.

- The same problems with Natalia or Natalya: instead of Natalia, they wrote me Natalya in my diploma. Then I smiled, seeing the unusual eye Natalya Maratovna, but I didn’t think that this would turn into a big problem when receiving a pension and that they would tell me: but the diploma is not yours !

Yofikators stubbornly resist

It goes without saying that the sacramental Russian question "what to do?" And apparently, it will remain unresolved for a very long time. Here is what professionals answer Koroleva:

“Marina, at a meeting of the Spelling Commission on May 20, 2018, it was decided that spellings of proper names with the letter E and Yo in official documents should be considered equal. We are working with the Governmental Commission on the Russian Language, we hope that we will be able to reach a decision (you can’t imagine how strong the opposition of the yofikators is). Yes, even the certificates of the IRL RAS, which are recognized by the courts and notaries, are not recognized in many places..."

And this is inevitable, since the Spelling Commission does not determine either decrees or the procedure for processing documents, and even if it recommends something, it has no legislative power! Why is there a Spelling Commission when the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation itself is powerless to solve this problem! Here is what one of the Korolyova respondents reports:

“The Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that the spelling of surnames and given names with E and Ё (Yo) should be considered equivalent if the same person can be identified. And if you can't? For example, Dezhnev and Dezhnyov? The Ministry of Education and Science, in a letter dated October 1, 2012 N IR-829/0 “On the spelling of the letters “e” and “ё” in official documents”, refers to judicial practice, but still advises putting an end to Yo...(Ё)"

In all likelihood, this problem for Russian officials is even more difficult than the notorious import substitution. That's how we live…