An experience of creating and using linguistic and cultural materials in Russian as a foreign language (On the example of the “MULTI_Saratov” project)

Abstract

Based on the study conducted by the Department of the Russian Language, Speech Communication and Russian as a Foreign Language, Saratov State University, the possibilities of using linguistic and cultural video materials in the practical aspect of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) are revealed. It is noted that the regional and local materials provide students’ immersion in the cultural and historical environment and facilitate the process of their adaptation. The authors describe the stages of the project implementation, which include: conducting a course of offl ine and online excursions with the themes of the historical and cultural past of Saratov; creating small video clips adapted for foreign students based on these tours; designing worksheets accompanying each video. When describing the process of creating videos, special attention is paid to ways of adapting the material for students whose Russian is at the B1 level. The choice of the level is due to the fact that B1 is required for admission to Russian universities for undergraduate programs. The article also discusses the principles of developing worksheets containing transcripts of videos, lexical and grammatical information, as well as tasks for its consolidation. The authors believe that such a training kit, fi rstly, introduces students to the history and culture of Saratov, and, secondly, it promotes the formation and development of communicative competence.

Keywords

• russian as a foreign language
• rfl methodology
• linguistic and regional studies
• regional component
• audiovisual materials
• text adaptation