Yoficator

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Yoficator (Russian: Ёфикатор) is a computer program or extension for a text editor that restores the Cyrillic letter YoЁ› in Russian texts in places where the letter YeЕ› was used instead. The majority of newspapers and publishers use Ye in all contexts, assuming that an educated reader can distinguish which letter is meant. This creates a large number of homographs (but not homophones), and this is the problem the yoficator is intended to fix.

The problem of choice between Ye and Yo in spelling can be fairly complex and requires a deep analysis of the context. Therefore, yoficators capable of completely solving this problem automatically do not yet exist. The existing yoficators[1][2][3] rely on specially created databases of Russian words containing the letter Yo, and either replace Ye by Yo only in indisputable cases ("incomplete" or "quick yofication") or work interactively leaving the choice to the user in uncertain cases (as, for example, the choice between "все" — "everyone" and "всё" — "everything").

The term "yoficator" is also used to mean "one who yoficates", or, in the broad sense of the word, "a supporter of using the letter Yo".[4]

Notes

  1. (Russian) Yoficator «Yo» by Vladimir Ivanov.
  2. (Russian) «Пишите по-русски» — макрос Николая К. для восстановления буквы «ё» в документах Microsoft Word.
  3. (Russian) Ёфицирующие скрипты Евгения Миньковского для текстовых редакторов VIM и XEmacs.
  4. (Russian) «О букве Ё и её проблемах» — cайт «главного ёфикатора России» Виктора Трофимовича Чумакова