Abstract:

The proposed article analyzes the cultural component in teaching the Russian language at the Faculty of Russian Language and General Education at Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Moscow, Russia in multinational groups. The authors consider areas of frequent communicative errors implied by cultural differences of foreign students. The experience of teaching at Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia made it possible to offer solutions to a number of typical difficulties that foreign students face in communication and in education in Russia.

The article details the difficulties caused by the following factors:
1) discrepancy of the etiquette formulas,
2) interpretation of the linguistic material in the coordinates of the native linguistic culture,
3) the lack of basic knowledge of Russia, its traditions and culture.

Thus, the etiquette mismatch in addressing the teacher in their native culture and Russian linguoculture causes considerable communicative difficulties for students. The lack of basic linguogeographic information about the Russian language is typical both for non-linguistic students and for those students who declare the Russian language and the Russian literature their future specialty, which undoubtedly affects the quality of their perception of the Russian culture and the Russian language. The article classifies cultural and historical lacunae in the notion of Russia, which impedes effective teaching of the language. At present, a significant amount of historical and literary material is presented in the methodological and educational materials, which allows students to adapt more quickly to learning and living in Russia. During the research we have interviewed students from Iraq, China, Senegal, Mongolia, who are taught the Russian language. The survey showed the need to develop training guidelines for overcoming the difficulties mentioned above. These recommendations, in our opinion, will allow foreign students to integrate more effectively into RUDN University training system, to increase the knowledge of the host country’s linguistic culture and to eliminate psycholinguistic difficulties caused by the mismatch of cultural codes.

Keywords:

Cultural component, cultural codes, higher education, Russian linguoculture, Russian language.