MODELLING A LINGUISTIC-CULTURAL IMAGE IN TEACHING RUSSIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The article describes the procedure of modelling an image of a country during linguistic and cultural analysis of an artistic text. The authors evaluate the importance of modelling images in teaching foreign philologists. The materials of the research are poems of a Russian émigré writer V.F. Hodasevich which were devoted to Italy. The relevance of the topic in the aspect of teaching Russian as a foreign language is stipulated by the following factors. Firstly, Russian émigré literature is often included as a special course in educational programs for foreign students. These texts are always interesting for foreign students, mainly because they reflect the realia of students' native linguistic culture. It is necessary to use these texts in the educational process and help students find the specifics of country images in them. These texts increase motivation to learn the Russian language. Secondly, cultural relations between Russia and Italy have been developed since the XV century. The image of Italy can be regarded as traditional for Russian culture; it is characterised as archetypical, and scientists define it as “Italian myth” in Russian linguistic culture. Thirdly, Russian émigré literature creates a specific image of Italy, which, as well as images of other host countries, is included in the image of alien, combined and at the same time opposed with the image of own, contains features of foreign and native space. This shows the importance of understanding the image of Italy for foreign students to get a deep knowledge of Russian linguistic culture.