St Petersburg University takes part in the World Congress of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature

The Congress is held by the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature and St Petersburg University with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the Russkiy Mir Foundation.

St Petersburg is the capital of the congress for the second time. Twenty years ago, the Congress of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature was first held in the Northern Capital of Russia on the initiative of the outstanding Russian philologist Professor Lyudmila Verbitskaya, who at different times served as Rector of St Petersburg University and President of St Petersburg University. She was the author of more than 300 research papers and teaching materials in the field of Russian and general linguistics, phonetics, phonology, and methods of teaching the Russian language. She advised major government officials. She is also known as the author of the famous project “Let’s speak correctly!” in St Petersburg. On the eve of the 15th Congress of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, a sculpture dedicated to Lyudmila Verbitskaya was unveiled at St Petersburg University.

This year, the congress has brought together philologists, literary scholars, translators from 63 countries, and representatives of 58 national associations of Russian scholars from Armenia, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Vietnam, India, China, Mongolia, and Serbia to name just a few. The 13 thematic areas of the congress will present more than 400 research reports. The congress will discuss the most current issues in teaching the Russian language.

The substantive agenda covers all the key areas of research description, study and popularisation of the Russian linguistic heritage in the modern world. Among the issues are the following: variability in the description of the modern Russian language; the Russian segment of international cyberspace; preserving linguistic identity in conditions of emigration; external and internal factors determining language changes; language conflicts and the phenomenon of language manipulation; teaching Russian as a foreign language, taking into account ethnocultural component; and machine translation.

The plenary session is scheduled for 13 September at the State Hermitage Museum. It will feature reports by the most authoritative scholars, writers and public figures. Among the speakers are the following: Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg State University; Tatiana Chernigovskaya, a well-known expert in the field of neuroscience and psycholinguistics and Professor at St Petersburg University; and writer Eugene Vodolazkin to name just a few. Online broadcast of the opening and closing ceremonies of the congress will be on the official channel of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature with interpreting into English.

The museum community of St Petersburg also provides active support to the congress. During the days of the congress, its participants can visit the Hermitage, St Isaac’s Cathedral, the Museum of the St Petersburg Academy of Arts, the Literary Museum of the Pushkin House, and the Vladimir Nabokov Museum at St Petersburg University.

On 13 September, St Petersburg University will hold round tables. Among them are the following: “Issues in linguistic analysis of legally significant texts”, moderated by Sergei Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law at St Petersburg University, and “Lessons from the digital lockdown: how has the practice of teaching the Russian language changed?”

On 14 September, the University leading philologists and linguists will present the results of their research projects. The reports will cover the following areas: “Methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign, native, and non-native language”; “Russian culture in a changing world”; “Methods of teaching Russian literature: theory and practice”; “Research on the dynamics of language changes”; “Russian literature in the world literary process: history and modernity”; and “Modern Russian lexicography: traditions and innovations”.

The congress for the first time presents the research data on the situation of the Russian language in different countries of the world. These research projects have been conducted by the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education in partnership with various research centres. Experts will discuss the situation of the Russian language at universities in foreign countries; assess the current state and opportunities for the development of Russian-language education in the system of preschool and school education; and present a comprehensive study of Russian language textbooks used throughout the world.