Editing Belarusian language (section)

==== Grammar ====
During the 19th and early 20th century, there was no normative Belarusian grammar. Authors wrote as they saw fit, usually representing the particularities of different Belarusian dialects. The scientific groundwork for the introduction of a truly scientific and modern grammar of the Belarusian language was laid down by the linguist Yefim Karsky.

By the early 1910s, the continuing lack of a codified Belarusian grammar was becoming intolerably obstructive in the opinion of uniformitarian prescriptivists. Then Russian academician [[Aleksey Shakhmatov|Shakhmatov]], chair of the Russian language and literature department of St. Petersburg University, approached the board of the Belarusian newspaper ''[[Nasha Niva]]'' with a proposal that a Belarusian linguist be trained under his supervision in order to be able to create documentation of the grammar. Initially, the famous Belarusian poet [[Maksim Bahdanovič]] was to be entrusted with this work. However, Bahdanovič's poor health (tuberculosis) precluded his living in the climate of St. Petersburg, so [[Branislaw Tarashkyevich]], a fresh graduate of the [[Vilnya Liceum No. 2]], was selected for the task.

In the Belarusian community, great interest was vested in this enterprise. The already famous Belarusian poet [[Yanka Kupala]], in his letter to Tarashkyevich, urged him to "hurry with his much-needed work". Tarashkyevich had been working on the preparation of the grammar during 1912–1917, with the help and supervision of Shakhmatov and Karskiy. Tarashkyevich had completed the work by the autumn of 1917, even moving from the tumultuous Petrograd of 1917 to the relative calm of Finland in order to be able to complete it uninterrupted. <!-- Lyosik -->

By the summer of 1918, it became obvious that there were insurmountable problems with the printing of Tarashkyevich's grammar in Petrograd: a lack of paper, type and qualified personnel. Meanwhile, his grammar had apparently been planned to be adopted in the workers' and peasants' schools of Belarus that were to be set up,<!-- ref to decrees --> so Tarashkyevich was permitted to print his book abroad. <!-- by who? ref? --> In June 1918, he arrived in <!-- then occupied by who -->[[Vilnius]], via Finland. The [[Belarusian Committee]] petitioned the administration to allow the book to be printed. Finally, the first edition of the "Belarusian grammar for schools" was printed ([[Vilnius|Vil'nya]], 1918).

There existed at least two other contemporary attempts at codifying the Belarusian grammar.<!-- ref to Lyosik --> In 1915, Rev. [[Balyaslaw Pachopka]] had prepared a Belarusian grammar using the Latin script. Belarusian linguist S. M. [[Stepan Nyekrashevich|Nyekrashevich]] considered Pachopka's grammar unscientific and ignorant of the principles of the language.<!-- reference! political? --> But Pachopka's grammar was reportedly taught in an unidentified number of schools, from 1918 for an unspecified period. Another grammar was supposedly jointly prepared by A. Lutskyevich and Ya. Stankyevich, and differed from Tarashkyevich's grammar somewhat in the resolution of some key aspects.<!-- refs Lyosik, stankyevich--><!-- critics by Stankyevich?? --><!-- yet another grammars: Lyosik, Stankyevich, 5ed, 8ed, 2005 -->