Current issues in teaching Russian as a foreign language to African francophone students at the preparatory faculty

due to the annual increase in the number of French-speaking African applicants to Russian universities, there is a need for their early adaptation to Russian society. The initial task is to teach them the basics of the Russian language and provide them with knowledge about the lifestyle, customs, and traditions of Russians. Russian textbooks for foreigners published in Russia compare the English language with the Russian language to one degree or another, since at the present stage it is English that is the means of intercultural communication. At the same time, only a small percentage of African students who want to connect their lives with Russia speak English. This is due to Russia's various contacts with states that were French colonies in the recent past, whose populations speak French. The article touches on linguistic and regional aspects in teaching Russian as a foreign language to francophone students. The authors consider in detail the spelling, phonetic, grammatical, and lexical nuances that cause difficulties in teaching foreign students. The emphasis is on the comparative typology of French and Russian languages.

French-speaking students, Russian as a foreign language, elementary level, linguistic and regional difficulties