FIRST STEPS IN LEARNING GERMAN: HOW TO LEARN LEXIS

When students start learning a foreign language the main difficulties they face are usually related to the differences of the native and foreign languages. When they start learning the second foreign language the interrelation of the languages becomes greater. The paper examines the interference of Russian as a native language, English as a first foreign language and German as a second foreign language when the learners have some level of proficiency in English and start learning German. Though English and German are the languages of the West Germanic linguistic branch of the Indo-European language family, but there are distinctions in the forms, meanings and use of the language units of both foreign languages. Such distinctions may make a negative effect on learning German as a second foreign language.

The goal of the paper is to examine the problems, which Russian students of non-linguistic university meet when they start learning German as a second foreign language. Special attention is paid to learning German lexis and interlinguistic interference occurring in this aspect. The findings of the teaching experiment held in the RUDN University (Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia) are reported.