Second Language Identity Formation through Russian Folklore Texts

In this article, we analyze the possibility of employing short Russian folklore examples of chastushka during the development of second language identities of philology students studying Russian as a foreign language. As observed, studying folklore texts in a foreign language environment contributes to the enhancing of the level of ethnolinguistic competence, which is important for understanding a different (Russian) mentality. An effective example of such texts may be the chastushka genre, as one of the few that actively develops through the deployment of various factors. Among its main characteristics, it includes a set of rules and norms of behavior, and a collective assessment of what is happening, and demonstrates the symbolic content of general cultural mores. This article draws on a model of linguistic identity presented by Yu. N. Karaulov. The model comprises three levels. The most interesting of these three levels, in the case of this study, is the psycholinguistic (linguo-cognitive) level, the units of which are perceptions, ideas, and concepts. We also discuss a model of secondary linguistic personality, firstly attributable to Khaleeva in the 1990s. This model is significant in its practicality for teaching foreign languages. This paper also presents the components of the term 'folk concept,' for which, we pay particular attention to the figurative and evaluative components, since the conceptual component is itself relatively stable. We also conduct a comparative analysis of the symbolic content of lexemes of linguistic and cultural significance. The semantic complexity of the folklore texts and their linguistic and methodological potential when working with foreign students must be and are considered when conducting such a study, along with the possibility of applying obtained results when working with literary texts, thus facilitating the attainment of a deeper understanding of literary images and symbols as additional learning material. The results of this work may be used in practical pedagogical contexts of the Russian language, as well as in courses in ethnolinguistics and folklore. © 2022 GLOCAL Conference Proceedings. All rights reserved.