Why it is correct to write "cashback" and how to stop confusing "e" and "e" in loanwords

The basic principle

Reference books lead such a rule for writing "e" and "e" at the root of borrowed words:

• "E" is written after hard consonants and the vowel "and": rating, realtor.
• "E" - after all other vowels: duet, poet.

It seems that everything is clear, but this is at first glance.

IN rule there are many exceptions, and the variants of each new borrowing fluctuate between "e" and "e". Even if a foreign word has long been mastered in the Russian language, its derivatives are not immune from incorrect spelling. Therefore, next to realtor appear real estate services. Sometimes the mistake ends up in books, like a superhero comic called "Batman: The Long Halloween”, although the name of the holiday in Russian should write with "e".

Why, where the sound [e] is clearly audible, does the letter “e” appear? It's about the history of the language.

Fight between "e" and "e"

Letter "e" entrenched in the alphabet much earlier than the rival. IN primordially Russian

words before the sound [e] there was always a soft consonant, and the letter "e" began to denote this softness, as in the words forest And sister. At the same time, in borrowings until the 18th century, “e” was written even after hard consonants. Then the primordially soft “sh”, “g”, “c” hardened, but the “e” remained in place, for example, in words like six And chain. It turned out that they began to write it both after a hard and after a soft consonant. This is how modern index And cottage.

Letter "e" hit into the Russian alphabet in 1708, when the civil alphabet was adopted. It was used in borrowings after vowels, for example in words poet And diet. Like any innovation in the language, the letter "e" caused rejection.

In "Russian Grammar" Mikhail Lomonosov wrote: "It is not good... to invent new letters for foreign pronunciations." Alexander Sumarokov spoke out even sharper: “Most disgusting to me and to Mr. Lomonosov, the letter E is unworthy to even talk about it. Both of them offered refuse from an extra letter and instead of it write “e” everywhere.

Despite the opinion of Lomonosov, the letter "e" was fixed in the language and even expanded its position. In the 19th century, the philologist Jacob Grot offered use it in borrowings only at the beginning of a word and after vowels, and in other cases write "e". And he introduced an exception - the word peer with the letter "e", so as not to confuse it with Russian feather in sentences like "I don't have a pen." The scientist called this "avoiding doublethink."

Over time, there were more exceptions. They included the words mayor, sir, plein air And master (to distinguish from a measure of length meter). Later this list included rap And racket. And the more borrowings appeared in the Russian language, the more exceptions were recorded by dictionaries: fantasy, hatchback, sandwich, laptop.

As a result, each new foreign word with great difficulty develops a permanent normative spelling. Everything is so variablythat even academic guidelines change. For example, Rosenthal's 1999 reference book suggested write Zen Buddhism through "e", but in a newer orthographic dictionary, the first part of the same word given through "e" - zen.

Casting vote - at the dictionary

Now the general trend is to write borrowings with the letter “e” so as not to increase the number of exception words. That's why cashbackhit in reference books in this form.

In cases where doubts and difficulties arise, it is better to check the spelling according to the dictionary. The latest edition of the Russian Spelling Dictionary will do (so far this edition 2018) or resource "Akademos" Institute of the Russian Language. IN. IN. Vinogradov RAS. Unlike the printed version, Akademos is updated every year. For example, in 2022, 151 new entries appeared in it. Among them are the words jetlag And poker face - both through "e".