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Вестн. Моск. ун-та. Сер. 19. Лингвистика и межкультурная коммуникация. 2021. № 1
ТЕОРИЯ И ПРАКТИКА ОБУЧЕНИЯ ИНОСТРАННЫМ ЯЗЫКАМ
Martin Filip
(DO NOT) FORGET YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE!
TEACHING OF THE CZECH LANGUAGE TO RUSSIAN
SPEAKING STUDENTS
Prague University of Economics and Business 130 67, Czech Republic, Prague, W. Churchill square 1938/4
The knowledge of the professional economic language is a vital prerequisite for high quality teaching and successful employment process of undergraduates and future graduates of the University of Economics, Prague. This article aims to contribute to the quality and efficiency of teaching the professional Czech language to foreign students, particularly to Russian-speaking students. This article contains didactic recommendations and proposals of specific methodological procedures and exercises which help to overcome adverse effects of the Russian language interference while learning the Czech professional economic language at the University of Economics, Prague. This article presents the results of teaching activities aimed at the Russian-speaking students in the framework of teaching professional economic Czech language at the University of Economics, Prague. Based on the research results, as well as the experience of working with students and applicants, recommendations were formulated that aim to maximise the effectiveness of mastering the Czech language as a foreign language, primarily taking into account Russian to Czech interlanguage transfer. In addition to methodological and didactic recommendations of a general nature, the article also contains specific examples of suitable practice materials.
Key words: interlanguage transfer; professional economic Czech language; teaching; international student; the Russian language; teacher.
This article focuses on a not very detailedly covered problem of the Czech language for foreigners, with the emphasis on Russian-speaking foreigners, and on the completion of the results of theoretical and practical research in the field of teaching the Czech language as a foreign language at the University of Economics, Prague (VSE)1. Attention is
Filip Martin - Dr.habil, Head of Department of Russian Language, Faculty of International Relations, Prague University of Economics and Business (e-mail: filipm@vse. cz)-
Vysoká skola ekonomická v Praze (Prague University of Economics and Business).
paid to the analysis of the problems of the Russian-Czech interlanguage transfer, especially Russian-Czech language interference. This is supported by experience gained in practice not only while teaching Czech economic language to regular international students of the university, but also when teaching Czech within the programme of the Preparatory Courses of Czech Language for Foreigners; foreigners who intend to study at VSE in the future. The aim of the research concept (practice ^ theory ^ practice) is to improve the mastery of Czech language of the Russian-speaking students and to achieve their generally higher language culture throughout their whole study. Research in this area can be a significant asset due to the limited coverage of the topic in the literature.
The main aim of the study was 1) to find out and validate to what extent the language transfer affects the process of acquiring the Czech language positively or negatively in Russian-speaking students, and to what degree the student's native language plays a role in this process; 2) to analyze the influence of language transfer in the individual language areas, focusing on morphological and lexical aspects; 3) to acquire new, concrete and systemized knowledge (to verify the validity of existing knowledge) in the field of teaching the Czech language for Russian-speaking students, and especially in the area of language transfer. The partial objectives of the research were:
- Investigate in detail the mistakes in the lexical and morphological areas made by Russian-speaking students while acquiring Czech professional economic language, errors that, in particular, fundamentally impede comprehension and understanding.
- Based on the research of these errors, formulate general recommendations devoted to problematic issues occurring while teaching.
- To find out how the non-usage of the Russian language during teaching complicates the process (or assists the process) of acquiring the Czech language as a foreign language.
The following research questions were formulated concerning the stated research objectives:
- In the case of Russian-speaking students studying the Czech language, does the Russian-Czech interlanguage transfer have a strong positive influence?
- Do students who have a sufficiently systematized and deep experience with the Russian language show better results when studying Czech?
- Is a high level of knowledge of the Russian language on the part of the teachers necessary for achieving quality results when teaching the Czech language to Russian-speaking students?
Interlanguage transfer is a well-known linguistic phenomenon that is an integral part of any pro-learning acquisition of a foreign language. At its core, an interlanguage transfer is the transmission of experience acquired while mastering and using one language (in this case Russian) on individual components of the process of learning a foreign language - it is somewhat (mostly) a subconscious comparison. Transposition (or a positive transfer) has a positive effect in the frame of learning a new language, i.e. it "prompts" the learner in the sense that what (simply put) has a particular form in his mother tongue, has a same or similar structure in another language that is newly acquired. For a Czech person the positive transfer "prompts "that a word "kryt "translates as "to cover "in English, word "od-kryt "will be possible to translate using the base word and the prefix, in this case, "to un-cover". To a Russian person, the positive transfer "prompts "to translate for example the word "ограничить" as a Czech word "ohranicit" (eng. "to circumscribe"). Positive effects of the Russian language knowledge on learning the Czech language can be observed primarily in those cases which are almost or entirely identical to the Czech language. It is therefore quite logical that the closer the two languages are, the more the positive transfer occurs.
Language interference4 (a negative language transfer) has an opposite effect; hence, the learning process of the foreign language based on the mother tongue is impeded. The experience from the mother tongue, which the learner carries onto the foreign language is shown to be misleading. Based on the language transfer, a Czech-speaking person might mistakenly assume that a sentence: "Chtel bych mil vice pe^z. "translates as "I wish I had more money. "A Russian-speaking person then may, based
2 This phenomenon has been studied in the Czech Republic by several researchers. The most important of them were S. Jelinek, J. Hendrich, R. Chodera, J. Vesely, F. Malir, L. Ries or J. Korcakova. There are quite a large number of publications, studies and teaching aids that analyze or at least take into account the language transfer problem. However, these are mainly materials that aim to help Czech students acquire the Russian language, which goes in the opposite direction than the intention of the realized research. The vast majority of specialized literature dealing with the issue of interlanguage transfer in the Czech language environment comes mainly from the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, the specifics of the Czech professional economic language for foreigners was not dealt with in any significant way.
3 This term is quite commonly used in the scientific literature [Bakeeva, 1977], although some authors avoid it as part of the effort to eliminate terminological volatility.
4 J.A. Zluktenko simply defines interference as follows: «Интерференцией следует считать все изменения в структуре языка, а также в значениях, свойствах и составе его единиц, возникающие вследствие взаимодействия с языком, находящимся с ним в контактной межязыковой связи» [Zatovkanuk, 1979: 4]. ["^4ll changes in the structure of the language, as well as in the meaning, properties and composition of its parts, arising from language interactions, being in interlanguage contact, should be considered as interference." (own translation)].
on the language transfer, mistakenly by analogy assume that the word "спорить "may be translated as "sporit "(eng. "to save ").
The research was carried out (in the years 2016-2018) on 289 Russian-speaking students5 at the Faculty of International Relations (FIR), University of Economics, Prague. The aim was to gain relevant knowledge which could subsequently contribute to increasing the effectiveness of the learning process in the framework of teaching the Czech professional economic language for foreign students. The task was to examine how and to what extent the interlanguage transfer positively or negatively influences the learning process of the Russian-speaking students and to identify the role the mother tongue plays in this process.
Data for the analysis of the effect of interlanguage transfer was collected in 20 fully or partially filled up study groups, each with a maximum of 15 students. The study groups were compiled with regard to the mother tongue of the students and supplemented by diversely language-equipped teachers. The following study groups were created:
- Group A - Russian students and teachers with a Russian language knowledge at a proficiency level (110 students in eight groups)
- Group B - students from Belarus and Ukraine and Russian-language teachers with A1-A2 CEFR level (105 students in seven groups)
- Group C - Russian-speaking students whose mother tongue is a non-Slavic language (Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Georgians, Azerbaijani, Armenians) and teachers who do not speak Russian (74 students in five groups)
All students studied the Czech language intensively for one semester in groups according to the distribution mentioned above. These students filled out the same test questionnaire consisting of 40 exercises focused primarily on morphological and lexical phenomena, in which an interlanguage transfer was expected. When selecting specific language phenomena, which are included in the questionnaire (in addition to personal experience with teaching the Czech language as a foreign language), the selection of grammar and lexical curriculum, which are described in professional literature, were also taken into account. To this day, a comprehensive overview of the scope of the professional economic Czech language in the direction from the Russian language towards the Czech language is missing. Even within the range of a common language (in the direction of Russian to Czech, or the other way round) the definition of these aspects is not yet unified in terms of its names or total number. The primary criterion (for example, as defined by S. Jelínek [Jelínek, 1976], however, in my opinion, can be considered undisputed.
5 Students from three academic years of the Preparatory Courses of Czech Language for Foreigners to study at the University of Economics, Pragues.
The following phenomena were therefore selected for the questionnaire:
a. Phenomena that are among the most frequented in the Czech professional economic language.
b. Phenomena that may often cause a significant misunderstanding if the language is acquired inadequately.
c. Phenomena in which the Russian-speaking students very often make mistakes.
Based on the conducted research and analysis, the interlanguage transfer plays a significant role in the answers of the respondents. It manifested itself in a positive and also a negative form.
Transposition (i.e. the positive influence of Russian) influenced the decision of respondents in the choice of answer on average of 72% of cases (group A - 82%, group B - 77%, group С - approximately 63%). Such a high ratio is mainly because:
- students have already studied the Czech language for six-months,
- it is always easier to rely on the help of the language transfer rather than avoid it,
- in positive transfer practice exercises, mainly simpler words were used (e.g., форма, рост)
- if hypothetically, we combine student's knowledge acquired during the study with the positive influence of the Russian language, we get a quite effective hint.
It is apparent that Group B students, when not having the support of Russian-speaking teachers, did not use the potential of a positive inter-language transfer as effectively as Group A students. Respondents from the Group С owing to their origin did not use much of the effect of the transposition, so the 63% share is probably the result of the learning process itself.
Interferences (i.e. the negative influence of Russian) influenced the results of the respondents to a substantial extent. The language interference influenced the choice of the answer on average in 29% of cases (Group A - 22%, Group B - 44%, Group С - approximately 21%). The data shows that Group A students (Russian students and teachers with a Russian language knowledge at a proficiency level) and Group C students (Russian-speaking students whose mother tongue is a non- Slavic language and teachers who do not speak Russian) were best able to resist the interference influence. The respondents of Group B (students from Belarus and Ukraine and Russian-language teachers with A1-A2 CEFR level) were affected markedly negatively by the Russian language knowledge in their choice of the answer.
When teaching the Czech language as a foreign language to Russian-speaking students, it is often assumed that due to the common origin of
the Czech and the Russian languages, it is possible to rely to a considerable extent on the student's experience with the Russian language, which will guide him through the pitfalls of a newly acquired language. We can agree only partially. Positive transfer is indeed more robust in the first phase of the study of the Czech language; however, it loses its strength through time. The more the Russian-speaking student masters the Czech language, the less service the advantage of knowing the Russian language provides him. Therefore, if at the beginning the Czech language may seem easy to the student, later (thanks to the interlanguage interference) it manifests itself in all its difficulty. This is true even in the case of a professional language, that is to say in a language upgrade over a language knowledge as a simple tool of communication (although it is not possible to separate the levels because it always concerns the same language). Recommendations that can help students master the Czech language take into account the difficulty of the Czech language in everyday communication, the problems that its study brings, and the effort to achieve the greatest success of Russian-speaking students of the Czech language at the University of Economics, Prague. It is a recommendation that does not only apply to the teaching process and interlanguage transfer, but rather to the whole process of mastering and acquiring the foreign language.
a) In various study groups, it is advisable (as long as it is possible with regard to capacitive, logistical and organizational factors) to place Russian-speaking students of Slavic origin separately from Russian-speaking students of non-Slavic origin. Their study requirements, study demands, anticipations, approach and mentality, are entirely different. Not every Russian-speaking person is Russian. They are often students who do not speak Russian well, and their knowledge of the language is superficial, without knowledge of grammar, language paradigm or a broader lexicon. Dividing the students by their origin (Slavic/non-Slavic) is one of the underlying assumptions for their successful study of the Czech language.
b) Students from Ukraine and Belarus should be regarded as native Russians6 during the teaching process since their knowledge of Russian language (except, for example, western Ukraine) is sufficiently deep and systematized. In the groups of Russian-speaking students of Slavic origin, it is necessary to have teachers whose Russian language is at a master level (preferably who are proficient or at a C1 CEFR level.) Only such teachers can fully exploit the potential that the Russian language has in a positive sense when acquiring the Czech language, and they can also eliminate (or at least mitigate) its negative influence. On the other hand, teachers who are proficient in Russian are not critical in case of groups
6 Apart from the possible influence of their native language.
consisting of non-Slavic Russian-speaking students, even though study results may improve in these groups by using the Russian language as an intermediary.
c) The role of the teacher is crucial. The teacher is primarily involved in the language learning process, and he can often become consciously or unconsciously the source of the mistakes. In addition to the lack of knowledge of Russian as an intermediary on the teacher's part, and therefore the impossibility of an aimed work with interlanguage transfer influence, the mistake is also the result of teacher's impact on the general pedagogy level, as well as on the didactics of a foreign language. With regard to the research results and long-term observation, a teacher can be mainly recommended the priority to use the following didactic principles: native language consideration principle (or the language of communication) and confrontation principle (in our case, especially informal, semantic or valence aspects). Commonly, the principle of systematicness and activation, as well as the principle of the student's motivation, should be applied.
d) When teaching a professional economic Czech, it is not possible to recommend more extensive use of the direct (natural) method, which does not take into account the aspect of the interlanguage transfer in its substance. Instead, the method of intermediation and to a great extent also the method of grammar-translating should be used. This is what many (among others M. de Montaigne, M. Luther, W. Ratke) criticize about the grammar-translating method, that is, over-accentuating the principle of awareness and the excessive use of the native language, seems to be a great benefit due to the curriculum character, the objective of the teaching and the origin of students. Because the nature of education in the former Soviet Union countries has not changed since the Soviet Union era, it is also possible to recommend the use of frontal teaching, accentuation of the teacher in the framework of his rather directive approach or the deductive method of presenting and learning a new subject. This recommendation is based on the simple fact that the Russian-speaking students are used to such teaching style, are much more secure in this frame and can achieve excellent results. Communication methods can only add to the above, but not substitute it.
e) Selection of texts and exercises, through which the Czech professional language is presented and practised also influences success in suppressing the effect of interference and in the use of positive transfer. Study texts should be compiled about current economic topics and complemented by practice exercises that will be adapted from these texts by their lexical content. The aim of the texts should be to introduce the student into the topic, to the expanding lexicon and to provide a quality
foundation for subsequent linguistic exercises in which problematic interference phenomena should be practised. Besides general and timeless topics (bank, money, economic systems, state budget, economics, et cetera), texts in the range of 1-2 standard A4 page format can include current or controversial topics, for example, controlling, crisis, taxes, audit, the role of the state in economics, or economic growth. When working with texts, the analytical reading should be emphasized, prospectively reading with commentary, while understanding the text should be thoroughly verified.7 This can be achieved by:
- Exercises that contain questions about the text (e.g. "Which basic types of banks does the text mention? ");
- Exercises aimed at reproducing the text with the outline help (e.g. "Reproduce the introductory text using the following outline.") or with the help of key words (e.g. "Using the introductory text, make three sentences using each of the keywords.");
- Exercises focused on formulating names of each paragraph (e.g. "Formulate the names of each paragraph of the given text.");
- Exercises focused on the choice of statement that corresponds to the content of the text (e.g. "Decide which of the following statements corresponds to the content of the text.");
- Exercises focused on the explanation of terms from the text (e.g. "Explain in your own words terms in the text above.");
- Using the ERR method8 (evocation - realization of the meaning -reflection). The first phase (evocation) should serve to tune students in, arouse their interest and motivation. Besides, it is also essential for activating their existing achievements and experiences. Within the next phase (realization of the meaning), the students become aware of the meaning of the text, acquire new information, try to understand it, analyze and systematize. In the last stage (reflection), students should be allowed to think about the text they have read as a whole and consider what was beneficial and essential. They become aware of their attitudes and feelings and can apply the newly acquired knowledge; reflection can thus become an evocation for the next lesson.
The following exercises should be included in a lesson:
- Translation exercises and that is a translation from a foreign (in our case from Czech) language and also to a foreign language. This is of course based on the assumption that the teachers working with the students have high knowledge of the Russian language. Translation exercises should
7 It is advisable to use less extensive texts focused on listening comprehension, while exercises that follow the texts may have a similar structure to reading.
8 See http://www.kritickemysleni.cz/klisty.php?co=klisty24_eur (accessed: 27.05.2019).
be appropriately divided into "transposition", "interferential" and "mixed", while the exercise should draw attention to the phenomenon being exercise (e.g. "Translate into the Czech language the following nouns, paying particular attention to their gender", "Translate to Russian the following phrases and note the differences in prepositional phrases." Alternatively, "Add to the nouns from the introductory text the plural form of genitive and accusative cases. Formulate the rule of a different creation of the accusative case of plural nouns in Czech with comparison to Russian.");
- Exercises to fill in synonyms and antonyms (e.g. "Fill in words with a similar meaning to the following words from the introductory text" or "Replace the underlined words from the introductory text with antonyms. How does it change the meaning of the sentence?"");
- Substitution exercises (e.g. "Repeat as shown. example: (banka) Diskutovali jsme o bance. -pujcka, splatka, ekonomika, ... . Example: (bank) We discussed the bank. - loan, instalment, economy, ... ]);
- Continuation exercises (e.g. "Complete the sentence. Example: Hypoteky jsou v soucasne dobepomerne vyhodne, ... nebot'jejich urok nebyva vysoky. "[Example: Mortgages are currently relatively advantageous, ... because their interest rate is not high.]);
- Transformational exercises9 (e.g. "Put the words in brackets into a suitable form. It is necessary to orientate oneself in the following.... (problem) problems. - scheme, method,..");
- Exercises aimed at adding appropriate words to context (e.g. "Which of the following words are best suited in the sentence.");
- Exercises focused on word formation or word combinations according to a specific pattern (e.g. "Using the two nouns given, create a combination adjective-noun. Example: Podnikatel - zamer - podnikatelsky zamer. [Example: businessman - plan - business plan.]"");
- Exercises aimed at deciphering miscorrected words, phrases or sentences (e.g., "Each of these sentences contains a mistake. Identify and correct them.");
- Exercises focused on grouping words according to specific criteria (e.g. "Divide the mentioned words from the introductory text into five groups. Formulate the distribution criteria.");
- Exercises targeted at Czech (and Russian-Czech) paronyms (e.g., "From the following two words, choose the one that fits into the sentence" economy - economics, ... ").
Also, it is certainly possible to use situation games, crosswords, role-play or even a mime show. In every case, it is always necessary to pay
9 J. Hendrich divides the exercises into imitation, substitution, transformational, dialogic and continuation [Hendrich, 1988: 333-341].
attention to the exercises so that their content and focus are anchored thematically in the introductory text, that is to say, the context principle context is always respected.
f) To best tackle the longstanding pitfalls of mastering the Czech language by Russian-speaking students located in the Czech Republic, final recommendations to provide Russian-speaking students (and international students in general) with adequate educational (and social) opportunities outside of the study group. While, as discussed above, there are some clear advantages that can be gained by grouping Russian-speaking students in the formal classroom, it is advisable not to segregate Russian-speaking students from other students in general, and efforts should be made to suppress their (natural) effort to gather among their "own" Russian-speaking groups. This can be done by organizing events in the style of nation-to-nation 0, where students are provided with a wide variety of cultural events and have the opportunity to meet with native Czechs and master their communication style. Related events from the past were met with a high level of success.
All the recommendations mentioned above and intentions are to help to free the Russian-speaking students from the adverse effects of the Russian language, "In other words, to create an autonomous competence for a learned language." [Vesely, 1985: 93]
If the student manages to reach resistance to the Russian language, he uses the Czech language entirely independently. However, this stage is challenging to achieve. Interference influence of the Russian language is so strong in case of the Russian-speaking students that it also influences more advanced stages of acquiring the language, thus even the professional economic language.
REFERENCES
1. Bakeeva N.Z. 1977. Lingvisticheskie osnovy metodiky obcheniya russkomu yazyku [Linguistic foundations of the methodology of teaching the Russian language in the national school]. Pedagogika. Moscow. (In Russ.)
2. Co je E-U-R. [What is E-U-R]. URL: http://www.kritickemysleni.cz/klisty. php?co=klisty24_eur (accessed: 27.5.2019). (In Czech).
3. Hendrich J. 1988. Didaktika cizich jazyku [Didactics of foreign languages]. Statni pedagogicke nakladatelstvi. Prague. (In Czech).
4. Jelinek S. 1963. Vybrane kapitoly z metodiky ruskehojazyka [Selected chapters from the methodology of the Russian language]. Ustav pro dalkove studium ucitelu na UK v Praze. Prague. (In Czech).
5. Jelinek S. 1976. Metodickeproblemy vyucovanicizim jazykum [Methodical problems of teaching foreign languages]. SPN. Prague. (In Czech).
10 See e.g.: http://www.nation2nation.cz/ (accessed: 15.01.2020).
6. Nation2nation. URL: http://www.nation2nation.cz/ (accessed: 15.1.2020). (In Czech)
7. Vesely J. 1985. Problematika vyucovanirustine jako blizcepribuznému jazyku [The issue of teaching Russian as a closely related language]. Stàtni pedagogické nakladatelstvi. Prague. (In Czech).
8. Zatovkanuk M. 1979. Mezijazykova a vnitrojazykova interference [Interlingual and intralanguage interference ]. SPN. Praha. (In Czech).
Мартин Филип
(НЕ) ЗАБЫВАЙТЕ СВОЙ РОДНОЙ ЯЗЫК! ПРЕПОДАВАНИЕ ЧЕШСКОГО ЯЗЫКА РУССКОЯЗЫЧНЫМ СТУДЕНТАМ
Пражский университет экономики и бизнеса, 130 67, Чешская Республика, Прага, W. Churchill 1938/4
Обязательной предпосылкой для качественного обучения и дальнейшего трудоустройства студентов и будущих выпускников Пражского университета экономики и бизнеса является знание профессиональной экономической лексики. Данная научная статья представляет результаты преподавательской деятельности, которая нацелена на русскоязычных студентов в рамках преподавания профессионального чешского языка в Пражском университете экономики и бизнеса. Цель этой статьи - способствовать улучшению качества и эффективности преподавания профессионального чешского языка для иностранцев, с акцентом на русскоговорящих студентов. Основываясь на результатах научного исследования (прежде всего акцент был сделан на русско-чешском позитивном, а также негативном межъязыковых трансферах) и на имеющемся опыте работы со студентами и абитуриентами, были сформулированы рекомендации, целью которых является максимизировать эффективность освоения чешского языка как иностранного. В статье содержатся дидактические рекомендации и предлагаются конкретные методические разработки и упражнения, которые помогают избежать негативного влияния русского языка при изучении профессионального чешского языка в Пражском университете экономики и бизнеса. В дополнение к методологическим и дидактическим рекомендациям общего характера, статья также содержит конкретные примеры подходящих практических материалов.
Ключевые слова: межъязыковой трансфер; профессиональный экономический чешский язык; преподавание; иностранный студент; русский язык; преподаватель.
Cведения об авторе: Филип Мартин - доктор наук, заведующий кафедрой русского языка, факультет международных отношений, Пражский университет экономики и бизнеса (e-mail: [email protected]).
СПИСОК ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ
1. Бакеева Н.З. О лингвистических основах методики русского языка в национальной школе. М., 1977.
2. Co je E-U-R. URL: http://www.kritickemysleni.cz/klisty.php?co=klisty24_eur (дата обращения: 27.5.2019).
3. Hendrich J. Didaktika cizich jazykü. Stàtni pedagogické nakladatelstvi. Prague, 1988.
4. Jelinek S. Vybrané kapitoly z metodiky ruského jazyka. Ustav pro dàlkové Studium ucitelü na UK v Praze. Prague, 1963.
5. Jelinek S. Metodicke problemy vyucovani cizim jazykum. SPN. Prague, 1976.
6. Nation2nation. URL: http://www.nation2nation.cz/ (дата обращения: 15.01.2020).
