Teaching phraseological units at Russian as a foreign language classes: the case of Yakut fairy tales by Valentin Egorov

   The relevance of the study is determined by the search for effective methods and techniques for teaching phraseological units to foreign students. Foreigners’ failure to understand phraseological units leads to a “communication barrier” and culture shock.

   Students must understand not only the literal, but also the contextual and figurative meaning, which is essential for reading original literary texts. Traditional textbooks offer a list of phraseological units out of context, which is ineffective for their assimilation.

   The purpose of our article is to describe the practical implementation of teaching Russian phraseological units to foreign students using literary works.

   The study used the method of analyzing literary texts, the comparative method, and the method of pedagogical observation. For the first time, teaching the use of phraseological units is carried out using regional fairy tales by the contemporary Yakut writer Valentin Egorov. The authors propose a methodological system for working with fairy tales: “How the Yakut Frost competed with the visiting Frost,” “The Secret of Lake Labynkyr,” and “The Little Mammoth Yuka,” tested in a group of Chinese bachelor’s degree students. The choice of works is determined by the degree to which they reflect the regional component. The stages of conducting lessons on studying 18 phraseological units using this literary material are described. Adapted texts of the Egorov’s fairy tales were developed for foreign students with Russian language proficiency at levels A2–B1. The most effective methods for teaching phraseological units and their use in speech are proposed. The results of a scientific experiment based on incoming and final control data are presented. In conclusion, the authors come to the conclusion about the expediency and effectiveness of implementing an integrated approach in teaching phraseological units to a foreign audience, which makes it possible to improve reading skills, expand vocabulary, deepen their linguistic knowledge, develop socio-cultural competence, analytical and critical thinking, speech and intercultural skills of students.

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