Chastushka Text as Teaching Material in Russian as a Foreign Language Classes for Chinese Students (Level A2)

Lyu Feifan Postgraduate student; Department of Russian Language and Teaching Methods, Faculty of Philology; Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba 117198, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 10, building 2 1042255215@pfur.ru

Tihonova Inna Igorevna PhD in Philology Associate Professor; Department of Russian Language and Teaching Methods, Faculty of Philology; Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba 117198, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 10, building 2 tikhonova-ii@rudn.ru

Introduction

The use of folklore material enjoys well-deserved interest in the modern teaching methodology of Russian language. The small-form genre of ditties can contain rich cultural material. Chastushka is one of the few folklore genres that remain relevant in the modern language environment. Being a classic form of Russian oral folk art, the ditto is characterized by colloquial vocabulary, clear rhythm and rhyme. The theme of ditties is closely related to the daily life of the people. This genre combines the possibility of improvisation and the function of transmitting national and cultural information.

As I. V. Zyryanov ^[4] notes in his work "The Poetics of Russian Ditties", this genre includes several varieties — from lyrical choruses to anthemic and slogan works, which proves its genre richness and ability to reflect the most diverse aspects of the life of the people. The author emphasizes that chastushka is primarily a genre of folk poetry, where "typification of attitudes to reality, expression of typical feelings, moods, thoughts, and state of mind" takes place. It is these properties that make ditties a useful educational material for learning Russian as a foreign language. To understand how ditties can contribute to the formation of skills and abilities among students, it is necessary to refer to the structure of language competence and the peculiarities of its formation among Chinese students.

Language competence is a person's ability to use language in different communication situations^[13]. As noted by Falomkina ^[10], its structure includes three main components: linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic competencies. Students who study Russian as a foreign language at the A2 level have a vocabulary of 1500-2000 words. At this level, it is necessary to master the basic grammatical rules: to know the cases, types and tenses of verbs, to be able to build simple and complex sentences. In addition, phonetics is an important part of language competence: the student must understand and use basic intonation constructions, as well as pronounce the sounds of the Russian language correctly.

The formation of language competence among Chinese students has its own characteristics^[11;12]. They face a number of difficulties when learning Russian as a foreign language. As T. V. Smurova points out ^[8], it is often difficult for Chinese students to master the types of verbs, verbs of movement, and compound sentences. These difficulties are related to the differences between Chinese and Russian. In addition, Chinese students are often not familiar enough with Russian culture and rules of conduct. It also affects the formation of their linguistic competence and makes intercultural communication more difficult.

The main part

1. The linguistic and didactic potential of ditties for teaching Chinese students

Ditties have significant potential for teaching Chinese students Russian at the A2 level. Clear rhythm and rhyme help to effectively train intonation, speech rhythm and correct stress. Research confirms that such material is useful for developing phonetic skills. The variety of ditto topics allows students to expand their vocabulary within the A2 level, and the completeness of each text makes it easier to memorize new words. Repetitive grammatical constructions help automate grammatical skills and make them more stable in speech. Ditties also introduce Chinese students to Russian culture, help them overcome cultural shock and better understand the national character. The emotionality and playful nature of this genre reduce language anxiety, create a positive atmosphere in the classroom and increase interest in learning Russian ^[7].

The phonetic level of working with ditties is especially important for Chinese students. Ditties can be used as phonetic exercises: students listen, repeat after the speaker, read in rhythm to work out difficult sounds. To correct the pronunciation of sounds difficult for Chinese, such as "r", "l", sibilant and soft consonants, the teacher can use special methodological techniques. Systematic work on articulation is a prerequisite for the formation of correct pronunciation.

At the lexical level, ditties cover many different topics, which allows students to learn new words needed at the initial stage of learning. At the initial stage of learning, it is easier for students to learn lexical units as a whole, rather than individual words. The texts of ditties contain stable phrases and typical conversational constructions that help students express their thoughts faster and more accurately in typical communication situations. In addition, there is a lot of emotionally colored vocabulary in the ditties, so that students learn lively, real Russian speech and can express their feelings.

Grammar level. The same grammatical forms are often repeated in the texts of ditties, for example, verbs in the past tense, different forms of verbs, prepositional forms. This repetition helps students memorize grammar effortlessly and use it automatically. For Chinese students, such repetition is especially important: it is the types of verbs, verbs of movement and the construction of complex sentences that cause them the greatest difficulties at the initial stage. Therefore, they need extensive practice to master grammatical categories that are not found in their native language.

Socio-cultural level. Ditties introduce students to Russian folk culture, customs, and traditional life. When Chinese students get acquainted with Russian culture, they often encounter phenomena that cause them to misunderstand: for example, differences in understanding smiles, the tradition of giving flowers or addressing elders. Russian Russian chastushki can be used by the teacher to help students overcome cultural shock and better understand the Russian national character, reflecting the way of life, traditions and values of the Russian people. In addition, to overcome cultural shock, game methods can be used, for example, association games, where students compare how the same concepts are perceived in Russian and Chinese cultures.

The psychological level. Ditties are like a game, they are funny and emotional. The emotional richness of the ditties, which reflect deep feelings: love, suffering, longing, joy, helps to create a special atmosphere in the classroom, reduce language anxiety and increase interest in learning a language. Psychologists note that the emotional involvement of students in the learning process helps to increase the effectiveness of memorization and the formation of sustained cognitive interest. Due to their emotionality, ditties create a positive, friendly atmosphere in the classroom, which facilitates the learning process and increases learning motivation.

2. Principles and criteria for the selection of ditties for Chinese students

The selection of ditties for Chinese students studying Russian at the A2 level should be based on the principles formulated in this study. These principles take into account the linguistic, cultural and psychological characteristics of this group of students. Let's illustrate each principle with concrete examples from the authoritative collection "Chastushka" compiled by V. S. Bakhtin ^[1].

According to the principle of language accessibility, the complexity of texts should correspond to the level of students' language proficiency. According to this principle, we propose to allow minimal adaptation of the texts of ditties while preserving the semantic content. This helps to reduce language anxiety, which negatively affects learning outcomes ^[6]. As an example, the following ditties can be cited: "Dad and mom are golden, I'm a silver daughter, let me go to the party tonight is a month-long night." It uses simple vocabulary and familiar grammatical forms. "The gray—eyed boy lit my heart, without a splinter, without a fire! My heart is on fire." This ditto is based on the repetition of simple constructions and an understandable everyday metaphor. "Come, darling, more often, I'll show you the path, I'll tie a handkerchief to each bush." The vocabulary is specific and understandable, the grammatical forms correspond to the A2 level program.

Based on the concept of V. V. Vorobyov's linguoculturology ^[2], we highlight the principle of cultural transparency, which means that the meaning of the text should be understood through comparison with the native culture. The following ditties serve as an illustration of this principle: "They told me: honey drinks wine, often walks on my porch. They told me about the cute one, that he was thin and small; I looked out the window — like a scarlet flower." The theme of love is universal. "Don't love me, rich man, love me, poor man, to your heart's content. Don't build a stone house, we'll live in a hut." This rhyme consonant with the well-known Russian proverb "love is Paradise and in a hut", which in turn resonates with the Chinese proverb "有情饮水饱, 无情金屋寒" (yǐn qíng Yǒu shuǐ bǎo, wú qíng jīn wū hán — "love and water saturates, without love and the Golden Palace cold").

The principle of practical applicability in teaching requires that the selected ditties combine linguistic and cultural learning and are suitable for different learning situations. As noted by Yu. L. Vtorushina ^[3], the didactic potential of folklore lies in its hidden reserve capabilities for solving various communicative and cognitive tasks.

The principle of aesthetic expressiveness is important for perception and memorization. Emotional involvement increases motivation and helps to overcome the language barrier ^{[2; 9]}. This principle can be clearly seen in the following texts: "I'll make trouble for my father, I'll run away quietly to get married: to my father without wooing, to my mother without cooking, to you, girlfriends, without tears; I'll say: he took my darling away." Humor and determination are pronounced here. "You are my ruinous parents, my murderers. They stabbed me without a knife, but they divorced me from Milenka." A chastushka conveys a strong feeling. "I was sleeping on the stove, it got hot in my side. I turned to the other side and felt sorry for Milka." The unexpected twist creates a comical effect.

The principle of authenticity of linguistic material requires that texts be selected from reputable collections of folk art. All the examples given are taken from the collection "Chastushka" edited by V. S. Bakhtin ^[1], which guarantees the authenticity of the material.

Based on these principles, we have developed criteria for selecting ditties. Lexical criteria: vocabulary should correspond to A2 level; absence of dialectisms and archaisms; the proportion of unfamiliar words should not exceed 10-15%. Grammatical criteria: the presence of repetitive grammatical structures of A2 level; the absence of complex syntactic constructions. Phonetic criteria: clear rhythmic structure; clear rhyme; convenience for practicing intonation and stress. Socio-cultural criteria: universality of the subject; absence of cultural images with strong national characteristics; possibility of comparison with Chinese culture.

Based on these criteria, we have developed a thematic classification. Theme 1 "Nature and weather": "Rain, rain, rain, rain, On me and on people. Don't drop one drop on my darling!". Topic 2 "Everyday life": "I was sitting under the window, spinning a white ribbon. I was looking in that direction to see where the cute one would come from." Topic 3 "Human relations: love, friendship": "The darling was driving from the crown, I was standing at the porch, the darling did not take off his hat, but I bowed." Theme 4 "Holidays and traditions": "I'm going to dance on a straw, spread out, people, on the side." Topic 5 "Humor and a joke": "A hare sits on a birch tree with galoshes, with a clock. I asked, "What time is it?" —Not married, single."

3. Methods of working with ditties in the Chinese audience

Working with a chastushka in a Chinese audience should include three main stages: the preparatory stage, the stage of working with the text and the stage of creative application. This approach to organizing classes is based on scientifically based methodological principles aimed at effectively teaching Chinese students oral speech.

At the preparatory stage, which takes 5-7 minutes, the tasks of removing lexico-grammatical and phonetic difficulties, as well as motivating students, are solved. The work is structured as follows: the topic and purpose of the lesson are announced; new vocabulary is introduced using clarity (pictures, objects) or a short translation with the repetition of keywords; for phonetic preparation, an audio recording or expressive reading by the teacher is used, during which attention is focused on the rhythmic-intonation structure and sounds difficult to pronounce.

At the preparatory stage, it is useful not only to explain new words, but also to briefly introduce background information about the genre of the ditto: when and where it was performed, who were the typical performers. One or two sentences in the students' native language or using simple Russian constructions are enough. This reduces the initial misunderstanding and increases interest, as students stop perceiving the chastushka as a random or strange text.

The stage of working with the text takes 10-15 minutes. The goal is to understand the content and analyze linguistic phenomena. The teacher gives students a chance to listen to the chastushka 2-3 times to understand the general meaning. Understanding is checked using various techniques: asking questions, selecting the appropriate picture, and filling in gaps in the text. During the language analysis that follows the comprehension test, students, under the guidance of a teacher, find familiar lexical units and grammatical constructions, analyze rhyming words, determine the specific tense forms of verbs and case forms of nouns. The final stage of the work on the text is expressive reading: first by the choir, then individually, followed by correction by the teacher.

At the stage of language analysis, it is not necessary to analyze every word. It is enough to highlight one or two grammatical topics that have already been studied and need to be repeated. For example, if a chastushka contains several verbs in the past tense, you can ask students to find them and name the gender. If there are prepositional forms in the text, find them and ask the question "about whom? about what?". Complex analysis reduces interest and contradicts the principle of accessibility.

The creative application stage lasts 10-12 minutes. The goal is to consolidate language material, develop communication and creative skills. The teacher offers creative tasks: to find rhymes to words from a ditto, to make similar sentences, to come up with a sequel. Communicative tasks include discussing a topic, acting out a skit based on a ditto, retelling on behalf of the hero. The socio-cultural tasks are aimed at discussing elements of Russian folk culture and comparing them with Chinese culture. Language tasks for consolidation are performed based on the material of the chastushka.

When performing phonetic exercises, it is especially useful to use "echo repetition": the teacher reads one line, the students repeat it in chorus two or three times with the same intonation. Then you can move on to pair work: one student reads a ditto, the other follows the text and corrects pronunciation if necessary. Since Chinese students are often shy about making comments to each other, the teacher can first demonstrate a sample of such correction.

Based on the selected frequent material and the characteristics of Chinese students, the types of possible exercises aimed at forming all components of language competence were identified. When designing them, the peculiarities of teaching Chinese students who are not philologists, as well as the specifics of the formation of their communicative competence, were taken into account.

Phonetic exercises include listening to an audio recording and repeating it with copying rhythm and intonation, reading aloud with a clear emphasis on stressed syllables, searching for rhyming words and reading them with the same intonation, reading with different intonation, and practicing pronunciation of difficult sounds.

Lexical exercises involve searching for words of a certain thematic group and composing phrases with them, selecting synonyms and antonyms for keywords, inserting missing words, replacing keywords with other words that match their meaning, and composing sentences with new words.

Grammatical exercises include finding verbs with the definition of tense, gender and number, putting nouns in the specified case, answering questions using constructions from ditties, making sentences by analogy, and transforming sentences with the replacement of verb tenses.

Communicative and creative tasks include answering questions about the content, retelling on behalf of the hero, acting out a scene, inventing a sequel, composing your own short ditto using familiar vocabulary and rhythm, drawing an illustration and describing it.

When performing creative tasks, such as composing their own ditties, Chinese students can be offered a ready-made rhythmic scheme and a list of rhyming pairs. For example: "my — native", "friend — around", "home — familiar". Students substitute familiar words without worrying about the complicated rhyme selection. This reduces the fear of making mistakes and allows you to focus on the meaning. The resulting short texts can then be read aloud, even imperfect ones, they create the atmosphere of the game.

Russian Russian sociocultural assignments are aimed at explaining cultural realities with the help of a teacher, comparing situations from chastushki with similar ones in Chinese culture, discussing new knowledge about Russian life and character, and preparing a short message about Russian folk art based on the studied chastushki.

Conclusion

This study allowed us to systematize the theoretical foundations of the use of ditties in teaching Russian as a foreign language and propose methodological tools for their application in the Chinese audience at the initial stage of learning (A2 level).

In the course of the work, the following tasks were solved. Based on the analysis of scientific literature and taking into account the peculiarities of Chinese students, five principles of selecting frequent texts are formulated: linguistic accessibility, cultural transparency, practical applicability, aesthetic expressiveness, authenticity. According to each principle, specific selection criteria have been developed: lexical, grammatical, phonetic, sociocultural, which can serve as a practical guide for the teacher in the preparation of educational materials.

Based on the proposed criteria, a thematic classification of ditties has been developed, including five sections: "Nature and weather", "Everyday life", "Human relations: love, friendship", "Holidays and traditions", "Humor and joke". This classification makes it possible to integrate frequent material into various thematic blocks of the curriculum and makes it easier for the teacher to find texts that correspond to specific educational tasks.

A step-by-step method of working with a chastushka in the classroom is described, which includes three stages: preparatory (removal of lexico-grammatical and phonetic difficulties, motivation of students), the stage of working with the text (understanding the content, language analysis, expressive reading) and the stage of creative application (consolidation of the material, development of communicative and creative skills). The proposed lesson structure is advisory in nature and can be adapted by the teacher depending on the specific goals and level of training of students.

Theoretical analysis has shown that chastushki as an educational material have a number of properties that make them promising for use in teaching RCT to Chinese students: the brevity of the text (four lines) reduces cognitive load; clear rhythm and rhyme promote the development of phonetic skills and facilitate memorization; colloquial vocabulary and repetitive grammatical constructions correspond to A2 level; emotional saturation and playful The nature of the genre creates a positive mood in the classroom, reducing language anxiety, which is especially important for Chinese students who have difficulty speaking. In addition, ditties contain a rich cultural component, introducing students to traditional values, everyday realities, and folk humor, which contributes to the formation of socio-cultural competence.

The prospects for further work include: expanding the corpus of frequent texts used for educational purposes by including texts from other thematic groups; conducting experimental research to test the developed principles and exercises; creating a system for evaluating learning effectiveness based on quantitative and qualitative indicators; developing a methodological guide for teachers containing practical recommendations and ready-made materials for classes.; as well as exploring the possibilities of using ditties at higher levels of language proficiency (B1, B2), where folklore material can be used to analyze stylistic features, dialectal vocabulary, and cultural connotations.

The article is published in the version approved by the reviewers (after receiving a positive review recommending the manuscript for publication) with corrections made by the author (after receiving the editor’s comments, if any).
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