Spelling norm as sacred phenomenon

Statement of the problem. The norm is an extremely important category that serves to regulate the diverse activities of society. With the help of ideas about the norm, an axiological scale is formed. Depending on the fundamental circumstances this scale is subject to remarking: the sacred and the profane change places. This also applies to issues of language policy, most clearly found in the field of spelling. It is in establishing uniform rules of spelling and punctuation that the state manifests its will in the most visible way. The purpose of the article is sociolinguistic analysis of spelling reforms and their results. Research methodology. Sociolinguistic analysis involves the analysis of language phenomena on the basis of the stated concept in specific historical and social conditions, as well as taking into account social, psychological, and linguistic characteristics of the audience to which they are aimed. The results of the study. The history of the Russian language knows cases of radical spelling reforms. However, the most famous of them (1917), when spelling was drastically simplified to facilitate its mastering by people at large, entailed very negative psychosocial ramifications, in effect, a sharply contemptuous disregard of rules. The most recent example of the project for the Russian spelling reform in the 21st century was developed in 2007, but did not receive official approval. Conclusions. Russian should be strictly regulated in accordance with the existing rules of the Russian written language, based on the sacred status of the Russian language as one of the key symbols of the state. It is also advisable to regularly publish constantly updated spelling dictionaries after their mandatory official approval.