Russian language as an object of reflection for a foreign student

The study reveals the cognitive features of the concept “Russian language” in the linguistic consciousness of foreign students. The relevance of the research lies not only in developing linguistic-cognitive methods for studying concepts in the conceptual sphere of various groups of language users (mono-speakers, bilinguals, foreign speakers), but also in identifying the specifics of the concept “Russian language” in the linguistic picture of the world of foreign students studying language inside a linguistic-cultural environment and outside of it. The knowledge of conceptual sphere of a foreign student allows teachers of Russian as a foreign language to identify, shape, and enhance students’ motivation. The article is aimed at describing the concept “Russian language” in the linguistic and cultural consciousness of foreign speakers and at establishing features of its conceptualization among foreign students studying abroad, outside the linguistic environment. To achieve this aim, an overview of the most representative scientific results was made. Experiments were conducted in two groups: (a) international students in Arkhangelsk and (b) foreign students of Tamkan University studying Russian as a foreign language outside the language environment, with fragmentary immersion in authentic communication through online learning. The received data were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed with the semantic-cognitive methodology for describing concepts (Z.D. Popova, I.A. Sternin). The analysis reveals that in the mindset of foreign students the concept “Russian language” has evaluative and interpretative features. This indicates the active conceptualization of this concept in the process of learning. The core of the concept consists of utilitarian (easydifficult; means of communication; study; career) and evaluative (beautiful, good) cognitive features. The specificity of this concept among foreigners studying Russian outside the linguistic-cultural context is found in precedent names, stereotypes, the priority of the cognitive attribute difficult/complex , a close connection with the content of educational material, and an emphasis on the interpretive attribute “uniqueness”. The authors conclude that the evaluative and interpretive field, informational content of the concept “Russian language”, and its cognitive characteristics are determined by the academic context: the relationship between the native and the studied language and the presence or absence of a language environment. The comparative analysis of the verbal value of the concept “Russian language” and the corresponding fragment of the worldview can help develop culturally adjusted courses for teaching Russian as a foreign language abroad.