Slavic Languages and Societies Commons^™

Teaching Verbs Of Motion In A Task-Based Russian As A Foreign Language (Rfl) Course, Joan Castellví, Elena Markina

Russian Language Journal

The paper focuses on one of the most complex topics in Russian as a Foreign Language (RFL) instruction: verbs of motion (VoM). We introduce an innovative approach to teaching these verbs, grounded in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), and contrast it with the traditional approach that follows the Presentation-Practice-Production (PPP) framework, which has dominated the field until now. By analyzing a sample of widely used textbooks specializing in VoM, we show that introducing the VoM system—specifically, the sequence in which the verbs are presented—follows the PPP design and is primarily grammar-oriented. This approach is based on the concept of “directionality,” which …

Do Your Abc: Teaching Tense And Aspect With Verbs Of Motion, Irina Six

Russian Language Journal

This paper examines the continued application of a content-based approach initially developed for teaching Russian verbs of motion (VoM) at the novice level (Six). It begins by introducing the ABC principle, a method that presents prefixed and unprefixed VoM together in their most typical contexts, rather than separately. The ABC principle ("A+B+C=D", as in поплыл + плыл + приплыл = плавал) helps visualize a three-leg journey and introduces students to two distinct sets of stems: Directional stems for A, B, and C verbs, and Non-directional stems for D verbs.

The paper then explores extending the ABC principle to intermediate-level …

Русские Глаголы Движения Типа Идти/Ходить Как Неустойчивая И Градационная Грамматическая Категория / Russian Motion Verbs Of The Idti / Khodit' Type As An Unstable And Gradable Grammatical Category, Natalia Bernitskaia

Russian Language Journal

The present paper puts forward and analyzes the postulate that the grammatical category of verbs of motion in Russian can be characterized as unstable and gradational. Instability is manifested in the fact that members of verb oppositions included in this category can weaken or even lose their grammatical status, i.e., their semantic and syntactic parallelism, cf.: bresti domoj / brodit’ domoj. Oppositions within the grammatical category of verbs of motion are not equal in terms of their grammatical status: some verbs are retained in the grammatical system more firmly than others. In this regard, an attempt is made to …

Motion Verbs And Secondary Predications: What Corpus Data Can Tell The Classroom Practitioner, Tore Nesset

Russian Language Journal

The Russian secondary predication construction in (1) and (2) has received considerable attention in theoretical linguistics but has been less prominent in the pedagogical literature on motion verbs. This lack of prominence in the pedagogical literature is regrettable since verbs of motion figure prominently in the construction and since the construction represents an important challenge for second language (L2) learners of Russian:

(1) Ты сюда зачем пьяный пришел? (Андрей Житков. Супермаркет, 2000)

(2) Первым на обсуждение был вынесен проект постановления «О поддержке курса Украины на интеграцию в Европейский союз» авторства Арсения Яценюка. (Ольга Куришко. В большинстве своем // Коммерсант, 14.01.2013) …

Russian Verbs Of Motion In L2 Acquisition: Testing The Efficacy Of A Usage-Based Approach, Tobias-Alexander Herrmann

Russian Language Journal

Unprefixed Russian motion verbs present unique challenges for second language (L2) learners as they encode distinct types of motion events. Traditional, directionality-based methods of teaching these verbs have faced criticism, prompting the adoption of alternative, cognitively informed approaches. This article builds on usage-based methodologies, such as those proposed by Nesset and Janda (2022), to investigate whether teaching unprefixed verbs of motion (UVoMs) as constructions can enhance L2 instruction. Using the frequent UVoM pair idti and xodit′ , both meaning ‘walk’, as a case study, I pursue two main goals. First, drawing on corpus data, I examine the construction UVoM + …

Book Review: Interpreting Chekhov’S Prose, Galina Rylkova

Russian Language Journal

Interpreting Chekhov’s Prose consists of an introduction by Donald Rayfield and fifteen chapters that were previously published at different scholarly venues. What unites these chapters is Polakiewicz’s focus on representatives of the medical profession and the various diseases they encountered as depicted in Chekhov’s prose.

Spotlight: Russian Aspect In Conversation And Russian Grammar Youtube Channel, Margaret Godwin-Jones

Russian Language Journal

The Digital Resources Corner (DRC) offers reviews of new digital resources that could be beneficial in the teaching and/or learning of Slavic languages. It is intended for instructors looking for or evaluating different materials to use in the classroom.

From Gesture To Coded Knowledge: Rediscovering And Redefining Tpr When Teaching Russian Motion Verbs In An Outdoor Classroom, Elena Susanna Weygandt

Russian Language Journal

The necessity to move my Russian as a second language (L2) classroom in an event tent during the “main” pandemic year encouraged me to create lessons engaging students’ movement and thus rediscover the Total Physical Response (TPR) method. This article presents the case for using TPR-inspired teaching as a mode to be considered in instruction of Russian verbs of motion (VoM). TPR, a teaching method and language acquisition theory suggested by James Asher in the 1960s, has further evolved in TPR role-playing and TPR storytelling and is used in L2 instruction today (e.g., Cook, 2008, p. 132; Davidheiser, 2002; Elliott …

Directionality Of Motion In Second Language Acquisition: With A Focus On L1-Korean L2-Russian Speakers, Hakyung Jung, Hyug Ahn, Jacee Cho

Russian Language Journal

This paper examines L2 acquisition of directionality of Russian motion verbs by L1-Korean speakers in terms of Slobin’s (1996) Thinking-for-Speaking (TFS) hypothesis and the markedness principle. Although directionality is lexically encoded in the verb in both Korean and Russian, the organization of this concept differs. In Russian, directionality is categorized solely by the feature [+/- directional], whereas in Korean, motion event expressions are distinguished not only by [+/-directional] but also by [+/-multi]. Experiments on L1-Korean, L1- Russian, and L1-Korean L2-Russian speakers demonstrated that (i) in Korean, the presence or absence of an explicit goal plays an important role in verb …

A Pedagogical Analysis Of How Unprefixed Verbs Of Motion Are Presented In Instructional Materials For Beginner Russian Language Learners, Elena Petrova, Kris Lewis

Russian Language Journal

It is well-known that verbs of motion (VoM) are quite challenging for Russian language learners. We analyze four VoM-specific pedagogical materials (three textbooks and one mobile application) for their usefulness in supporting second language acquisition and the development of new thinking-for-speaking (TFS) patterns in beginner-level Russian language learners. Focusing on directionality, scaffolding, comprehensible input, the use of visuals, and communicative activities, we highlight how these materials lay a foundation for understanding VoM but are not sufficient for helping learners fully develop new TFS patterns. We pose recommendations for future research, teaching, learning, and materials development in the area of Russian …

Introduction To The Special Issue: Searching For Alternative Approaches To Conceptualizing And Teaching Russian Verbs Of Motion: Bridging Linguistics And Teaching Practice, Maria Bondarenko

Russian Language Journal

This special issue seeks to account for the current status of an emerging trend we have observed in linguistics and L2 instruction over the last two decades: reconceptualizing Russian verbs of motion (VoM). To contextualize the contributions to the issue, in this Introduction, I will give an overview of how this trend has evolved from its inception until the present time, delineating within it two successive stages called the Cognitive Turn and Instructional Turn.

О Взаимодействии Грамматики И Словаря На Занятиях По Рки: Глаголы Перемещения И Их Лексикографические Толкования / On The Interaction Of Grammar And Vocabulary In Teaching Russian As A L2 (Rki): Motion Verbs And Their Lexicographic Definitions, Svetlana Krylosova

Russian Language Journal

This article examines how lexicographic definitions can be meaningfully integrated into the teaching of Russian grammar within a university-level Russian-as-a-foreign-language curriculum, focusing on the case of paired motion verbs. Drawing on the theoretical framework of Igor Mel’čuk’s Explanatory Combinatorial Lexicology, the study shows how academic dictionary entries can be transformed into learner-friendly tools tailored to the needs of advanced learners. Through a detailed analysis of pedagogically adapted definitions for the verbs letet’ and letat’, the author outlines a step-by-step classroom approach. Particular attention is paid to how semantic distinctions between the verbs are clarified and how common learner difficulties …

Структурно-Семантическая Модель Матричной Таблицы Глаголов Звучания: К Реконструкции Лексической Системы, Irina V. Ivliyeva

Arts, Languages and Philosophy Faculty Research & Creative Works

цель статьи – провести структурно-семантический анализ авторской таблицы веб-извлечения глагольных форм. Матричная таблица форм глаголов звучания рассматривается как инновационный лексикографический инструмент, обладающий способностью не только фиксировать уже существующие единицы, но и выявлять потенциальные формы глаголов, находящиеся за пределами кодификационных норм. Работа направлена на описание структуры, принципов построения и способов наполнения данной таблицы. Проводится сопоставление с традиционными лексикографическими источниками. Особое внимание уделяется семантическому значению незаполненных ячеек, способности таблицы к синтезу новых форм и её потенциалу как прогностического инструмента в сфере лексики, словообразования и словообразовательного синтеза.

Maxim Gorky’S Illusionary Reformation Of Human Nature And The Rise Of The Soviet Citizen: Socialist Realism As A Constructive Force In Mother, Alysia Gayle Meyer

Honors Projects

This paper examines the origins and evolution of the Socialist Realism movement headed by Maxim Gorky, as a defining ideological and artistic framework of the Stalin era. Emerging in response to the experimental avant-garde movements of Revolutionary Russia, Socialist Realism sought to construct the ideal Soviet Reality, reimaging society and its citizens through the lens of collectivism, labor, and ideological purity. Central to this exploration is Gorky’s first major Socialist Realist novel, Mother, which serves as a blueprint for depicting the ideal Soviet citizen. By analyzing the motivations behind this movement and its portrayal of utopian ideals, this study reveals …

No Unified Ableukhov: Orientalism And Imperialism In Andrei Bely's Petersburg., Tuesday Shaw

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

This project brings into dialogue the 1913 Russian novel Petersburg by Andrei Bely and postcolonial approaches to literature, primarily those developed by Edward Said in Orientalism (1978) and Culture and Imperialism (1994). Petersburg was the product of an artistic movement, Symbolism, that idealized breaking apart boundaries between artforms. Said’s notion of Orientalism, in contrast, is based on the idea that there is an essential division between “East” and “West.” While there might appear to be a tension in applying a theory premised on division to a work that apparently wants to dissolve all boundaries, attention to Petersburg’s depiction of …

Kansas City, Kansas, Vida Davidović

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS is a thesis that operates in the tradition of expressionist dramaturgy and playwriting, taking up themes of abuse, imperialism, war, trauma, womanhood, Balkan identities, history of the Balkans, as well as the discourses of psychoanalysis and postcolonial theory. The use of different theoretical frameworks related to both international and personal politics, which are shown to be intertwined, suggests a strong relationship between political processes in the Second World Countries that had experienced many occupations throughout their history and the way women in those countries relate to the questions of body, authority, feminity, and interpersonal relationships. The play …

A Study Of Rachel Galinne’S Dybbuk For Solo Clarinet: A Classical Work With Klezmer Influences, Rachel S. Levison

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Composer Rachel Galinne self-identifies first and foremost as an Israeli with Swedish roots. She was born and raised in Sweden to Holocaust survivors and always felt a deep connection to Jewish traditions and culture, leading her to immigrate to Israel. Her compositions are derived from her formal education in musicology and composition in contemporary music, as well as from her Jewish community. Her Jewish heritage is represented in her compositions through text, motivic ideas, and specific topics. Dybbuk for solo clarinet is an excellent example.

This solo follows the perspective of Leah, one of the main characters in Solomon Ansky’s …

A Survey Of And Performance Guide To Representative Flute Music By Two Twentieth-Century Serbian Composers: Ljubica Marić And Enriko Josif, Sanda Mašić

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Flute pieces by twentieth-century Serbian composers Ljubica Marić and Enriko Josif are little-known gems of modern repertoire that are almost completely unknown outside Serbia. Unique in their styles, these works illustrate the composers’ close relationship to the Serbian culture in which they lived and the religions they practiced. In addition, these works reflect the time they were created in, and are, therefore, modern with a distinctive sound. This document presents a study of seven selected flute works by these two important Serbian composers, places them in historical context, and reveals influences from both Serbian religious music (Orthodox and Jewish) and …

Representasi Federalisme Rusia Pada Uang Kertas Rubel Emisi 1997-2017, Voja Alfatih, Mina Elfira

Multikultura

This study discusses the representation of federalism in the Russian Federation ruble banknotes, issue 1997-2017. The aim of this study is to decipher the images contained in the Russian Federation ruble banknotes, issue 1997-2017, and to explain how far can these images represent federalism in the Russian Federation. The research material used in this study are pictures of ruble banknotes, issue 1997-2017, from the official website of the Central Bank of Russia. The theories used in this study are C.S. Peirce's theory of semiotics, J.D. Peters' theory of money representation, W.H. Riker's theory of federalism, and M. Russel's theory of …

Ritual As Resistance: Orality, Identity, And Soviet Kazakh Childhood In Sayin Muratbekov’S The Smell Of Wormwood, Dana Akhmerova

Comparative Literature M.A. Essays

This essay analyzes The Smell of Wormwood (1967), a short novel by Soviet Kazakh author Sayin Muratbekov, set in a Kazakh village during World War II. The narrative centers on Ayan, a nine-year-old orphan with a physical disability, who copes with trauma and marginalization by becoming a storyteller for the village children. Focusing on the role of Kazakh folklore—particularly storytelling and initiation rituals—I explore how these cultural forms shape the novel’s characters, structure, and central conflict. Drawing on Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner’s theories of ritual, I argue that Ayan’s storytelling creates an informal liminal space through which the …