1、 Introduction

The importance of language as a communication tool and standardized social code was discussed, and it was pointed out that standardized language is a prerequisite for effective communication. Sposki divided language policy into three parts: language practice, faith, and planning, while language planning was further subdivided into status planning, ontology planning, and so on. The Cyrillic alphabet has undergone multiple reforms in the development of Russian, reflecting language changes and the demands of the times. This article analyzes the changes in the Cyrillic alphabet of Russian from the perspective of language ontology planning, explores the reasons for the reform of writing, and aims to re-examine the history of Russian and the changes in the alphabet.

2、 The initial form of the Cyrillic alphabet

The initial form of the Cyrillic alphabet is closely related to the Gregorian alphabet, which developed in Bulgaria. The 24 letters of the Cyrillic alphabet are directly derived from the Greek alphabet in the Cyrillic script, while the remaining letters have been modified or combined, or borrowed from other languages. The connection between the Cyrillic alphabet and Greek script reflects the close religious and cultural ties between the First Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire. The creation of Slavic script reflects originality. Unlike Western European languages that borrowed the classical Latin alphabet, Slavic script did not completely copy the Greek or Latin alphabet. In the process of creating Slavic script, the need to express the special phonetics of Slavic language played an important role. The competition for political and religious power had an impact on the creation of writing, and the foreign policy of the Byzantine Empire and its religious and cultural influence on the Slavs promoted the Kirill brothers' journey to West Slavs and the emergence of the Gregorian alphabet. The Cyrillic alphabet was eventually born in Bulgaria, and external factors such as politics and religion played a key role in language planning.

3、 Alphabet in Early Grammar Literature

Explored the changes in the Cyrillic alphabet and the problem of language ontology planning in early grammar literature. With the introduction of Christianity, the Cyrillic alphabet began to be widely used in the Ross region, but the writing cultures of Old East Slavic and Old Slavic languages mutually influenced each other, leading to a gradual widening of the differences between written standard language and spoken language. The demand for language norms has led to the emergence of the idea of grammatical norms. In early grammar literature, the issue of orthography in Church Slavonic language became a focus, but there was a lack of unified standards for the alphabet, and there were differences in the alphabet in different literature. These differences mainly stem from the redundancy of homophonic letters, such as the mixing of nasal vowels and, as well as the different positions of letters borrowed from Greek letters. Although scholars have begun to spontaneously engage in language planning, the lack of support from the government or social organizations has led to a long-term lack of authoritative expression in language ontology planning. In addition, changes in the relationship between spoken and written language, as well as the lack of widespread printing technology, have also affected the dissemination and implementation of language planning.

4、 The Alphabet Reform during the Period of Peter the Great and the Russian Academy of Sciences

During the reign of Peter the Great, Russia underwent profound changes in language and writing. With the blurring of the boundary between written and spoken language, Russian as a national language gradually formed, integrating elements of Church Slavonic and Old Russian, and developing towards secularization and popularization. The reform of the Cyrillic alphabet became inevitable, and the establishment of the Civil Alphabet in 1710 marked the beginning of the development of the modern Russian Cyrillic alphabet. Peter the Great personally annotated and deleted 7 redundant letters, introducing new letters, reflecting the intention to approach Western writing styles. In the 18th century, the Academy of Sciences continued to revise the alphabet, removing redundant letters and adding new letters to adapt to phonetic changes. Lomonosov proposed simplifying the alphabet in "Russian Grammar" by removing homophones or cognates, reflecting a new approach to language planning. The characteristics of language ontology planning during this period include institutional or individual intervention of national or collective will, as well as setting letters for new phonetic changes, marking the liberation of the Kirill alphabet from the constraints of church language and better serving the writing of national languages. At the same time, the adjustment of letter writing also reflects the rise of secular culture in social life, and Russia is gradually moving towards becoming a "European country".

5、 The Alphabet Reform Thought of the 19th and 20th Centuries

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the reform ideas of the Cyrillic alphabet in Russian mainly focused on simplifying orthography and improving the efficiency of national literacy. After the serfdom reform in 1861, intellectuals proposed simplifying the alphabet to reduce illiteracy rates. In 1862, the Orthography Committee led by Stoyonin proposed the principle that each letter should express a fixed pronunciation. At the end of the 19th century, there were constant reform proposals, such as Ronaldo's proposal to reduce the number of letters to 25. At the beginning of the 20th century, the reform of orthography became a focus of social attention, and the committee chaired by Bronte proposed a plan to remove redundant letters. Although it was not approved by the Ministry of Education, it gathered the power of reform. In 1904, the Orthography Committee voted to remove letters, and in 1912, the Orthography Subcommittee Resolution explicitly removed some letters. In 1917-1918, the Soviet government issued laws and gradually completed the reform of orthography. During the reform process, the language ontology planning shifted from adapting to language development to meeting the needs of the people, with extensive participation from social organizations and the public, seeking government support. In the reform, conservative and radical plans seek a balance, redundant letters are related to traditional culture, and the reform faces obstacles from social and cultural factors. Ultimately, under the administrative intervention of the new regime, the alphabet reform was temporarily completed, taking into account changes in social life and demonstrating a determination to break away from the old society.

6、 Conclusion

The analysis of language ontology planning in the evolution of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet reveals that language policies and planning need to consider both internal and external factors of language. History has shown that internal changes in language are a prerequisite for planning behavior, such as differences between spoken and written language leading to alphabet reform. The will of the state and administrative intervention are the key to successful planning, such as the reform of writing during the reign of Peter the Great. The country and nation face choices in planning, influenced by politics, religion, and culture, such as the creation of Slavic script and the reforms of Peter the Great, which reflect the direction of national development.