Writing and spelling, graphics and orthography: the border between system and norm

The article is concerned to the relationship between language system (Russian term «graphics») and norms (orthography) in the Russian writing. Currently, the boundary between the system of «graphics» and the normal «orthography» is not between potential combinations of letters in the Russian written language and the norms as rules of spelling, and between the isolated sound or syllable reflection in the letter and morpheme writing. This results in two different understandings of the Russian term orthography (English spelling without the normative sense): on the one hand, it is understood as a set of spelling norms, but on the other hand - as a real practice of writing combinations of letters. The introduction of the concept of «supersegmental graphics» to refer to potential and naturally occurring combinations of letters will help to resolve this ambiguity.