Il russo dopo la rivoluzione: spontaneità rivoluzionaria e politica linguistica

The article illustrates the main transformations that occurred in the Russian language standard in the period following the October Revolution, particularly in the years be-tween 1917 and the end of the 1920s. Special attention is devoted to the spontaneous changes that took place in the language as a consequence of the rise of new social classes, on the one hand, and the linguistic policy, not always consistent and consequent, led by Bolshevik exponents but also supported by the most authoritative linguists of the time, on the other. The dynamics taken into consideration are framed in a sociolinguistic perspec-tive and compared with the linguistic development of other periods of great change in Russian history and culture, in particular the 18th century and the post-Soviet period.