Language Mediation: The Place of English in Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language

Abstract

Communication in culture, society, economy and politics makes the study of Russian as a foreign language (RFL) to be necessary. In this perspective, the teaching of Russian as a foreign language nowadays is one of the most popular disciplines among foreign students coming to study in Russia. Any large university has it on the curriculum.One of the most questionable dilemmas in teaching Russian as a foreign language is to use mediator language or not? This problem is considered to be not insufficiently studied in the pedagogical area, nevertheless such researchers as Vinogradov V.S., Alekseeva I.S., Jakobson R.O., Stathopoulou M. and others have made a great contribution to the study of this issue. The purpose of the research is to resolve this dilemma in order to remove the doubts and to help practicing teachers.The majority of all incoming foreign students in Russia are from China, so it was decided to check the hypothesis that Russian is better learnt as a foreign without mediator language by Chinese students studying at the University in Kazan.English was chosen as a "mediator" as it is the language of international communication all over the world. During 3 months 2 groups were taught, in one group English was used as "mediator", in other group Russian language was taught using the total immersion method.The results of the test were processed by methods of mathematical statistics and it was definitely proved that the hypothesis advanced above was correct.The results of the research can be used in determining the better way of teaching RFL or any foreign language in the situation when mother tongue of the teacher and the students are different, and teacher is a native speaker of the target language.