Abstract:

Modern linguistics and language pedagogy challenge researchers and methodologists to accomplish a whole series of tasks: communicative and pragmatic language teaching, an individualized and nation-specific approach in teaching, and optimizing the ratio of students’ classroom and independent work. Development of communicative competence and its further control in speaking activities are associated with pronunciation skills. We consider the phonetic aspect of speech to be the basis for the implementation of communicative competence in oral language activities, because pronunciation errors and general phonetic unintelligibility lead to communicative errors, which, in turn, can cause a communication failure. To optimize the development of pronunciation skills, experts suggest using distance and electronic educational technologies. In the framework of this study, we present a fragment of electronic courseware, which aims to teach Russian phonetics and takes into account the peculiarities of the students’ native language. At this stage, we have developed a demo version of the courseware for Arabic and Chinese speakers, which includes:
1) a sample sound pronounced in the isolated position, and in an open and closed syllable,
2) a video showing the pronunciation of the sample sound and sound combination,
3) an animated image of speech organs in the process of pronouncing the isolated sound,
4) an example of writing the letter which corresponds to the sound (spelling),
5) recognition of the streaming sound and assessment of its quality compared to the sample pronunciation, which represents its pronunciation by an average Russian speaker,
6) a set of exercises aimed at developing and consolidating the skills of pronouncing the sound and sound combination, as well as improving such language skills as listening, reading, and speaking.

The report and the report materials present a case study of working on specific sounds, which demonstrates the focus on the learners’ native language.

Acknowledgement:
The research was carried out within the framework of the project “Development of a robotic dialogue system for learning Russian by various target groups and its subsequent use as a part of the current electronic support system for learning Russian and distance education in Russian” under the Agreement No. 09.Y70.25.0165 of December 7, 2016.

Keywords:

Russian as a foreign language, phonetics, Arabic speakers, Chinese speakers, phonetic virtual courseware.