Asymmetry of the English-speaking and Russian-speaking Language Teaching Discourse: Reasons and Consequences

This article touches upon the problem of asymmetry scientific discourses related to language teaching. It is known that languages have asymmetric features, which prevents the complete translatability of texts. However, if the participants of the discourse are aware of the external side of this disproportion associated with the choice of lexemes and grammatical structures, then the internal asymmetry manifested in the structure and content of concepts and their axiomatic connections remains hidden and unconscious for the majority because of false cognitive isomorphism. This phenomenon is especially evident in the discourses of the humanities, in particular, in the discourse on language teaching. To compare the epistemological architecture of language teaching discourse in English and Russian, the authors apply lexicographic and conceptual analyses, which makes it possible to identify the reasons for such an organization of knowledge. In addition, the article reflects on the consequences for language teaching in Russia related to the orientation of participants in the Russian-language scientific discourse to foreign colleagues and the adoption of values and meanings from the English-language discourse. One of the crisis points is the lack of awareness of the difference in the contexts of teaching English in Russia and English-speaking countries and, as a result, the regular use of practices of teaching English as a second language outside the language environment and the absence of a teaching model focused on the functioning of the English language in Russia.

1. Catford J. K. Lingvisticheskaia teoriia perevoda: Ob odnom aspekte prikladnoi lingvistiki. Moscow, Editorial URSS; 2004. (In Russ.)

2. Lovtsevich G. N., Trifonov A. S. Ostorozhno-termin: problemy perevoda terminov gumanitarnykh nauk. The Humanities and Social Studies in the Far East. 2018;(1):109–112. (In Russ.)

3. Sokolovsky Ya. V. Sootnoshenie originala i perevoda khudozhestvennogo teksta: izomorfno-kognitivnyi podkhod: avtoreferat dissertatsii … kandidata filologicheskikh nauk. Irkutsk: Irkutsk State Linguistic University; 2009. (In Russ.)

4. Lovtsevich G. N. Mezhdunarodnost' terminologii gumanitarnykh nauk: mif ili real'nost'? The Humanities and Social Studies in the Far East. 2022;(1):79–86. (In Russ.)

5. Lovtsevich G. N., Gich O. N. English and Russian terms “native speaker”: illusory equivalents. Russian Journal of Linguistics. 2018;(2):436–447. https://doi.org/10.22363/2312-9182-2018-22-2-436-447 (In Russ.)

6. Gich O. N. Rethinking the concept of a native speaker. Synergy of Languages & Cultures 2022: Interdiscipilinary Studies. 2023:174–183. (In Eng.)

7. Azimov E.G., Shchukin A.N. Novyi slovar' metodicheskikh terminov i poniatii (teoriia i praktika obucheniia iazykam). Moscow, Ikar; 2009. (In Russ.)

8. Baranov A. N. Vvedenie v prikladnuiu lingvistiku. Moscow, Editorial URSS; 2009. (In Russ.)

9. Richards J.C., Schmidt R. Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. 3rd edition. London, Pearson Education Ltd; 2002. (In Eng.)

10. Lovtsevich G. N. Krosskul'turnyi terminologicheskii slovar' kak sposob reprezentatsii terminologii gumanitarnykh nauk: monografiia. Vladivostok, Izd-vo Dal'nevost. un-ta; 2009. (In Russ.)

11. Kim Y. K., Hutchison L. A., Winsler, A. Bilingual education in the United States: An historical overview and examination of two-way immersion. Educational Review. 2015;(2):236–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2013.865593

12. Grzega J. Globish and Basic Global English (BGE). Journal for EuroLinguistiX. 2006;(3):1–13.

13. Quirk R. International communication and the concept of nuclear English. English for International Communication. Oxford: Pergamon Press. 1982:15–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16572-8_10

14. Smith L.E. English as an international language. No room for linguistic chauvinism. Readings in English as an International Language. Oxford, New York, Toronto, a.o.: Pergamon Press. 1983:7–11. https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2015-0002

15. Jenkins J. Teaching Pronunciation for English as a Lingua Franca: A Sociopolitical Perspective. The globalisation of English and the English language classroom. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag. 2008:145–158.

16. Seidlhofer B. Understanding English as a lingua franca. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2013.

17. McKay S. L. English as an international language: What it is and what it means for pedagogy. RELC Journal. 2018;(1):9–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688217738817

18. Nobuyuki H. Language education from a post-native-speakerist perspective: The case of English as an international language. Russian Journal of Linguistics. 2021;(2):528–545. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688217738817

19. Vygotsky L. S. Myshlenie i rech'. Moscow, Izdatel'stvo AST; 2022. (In Russ.)

20. Nurutdinova A. R., Panfilova E. V. Socio-lingvisticheskij aspekt v formirovanii mezhkul'turnoj kommunikacii: inkul'turaciya, akkul'turaciya i assimilyaciya. Russian Journal of Education and Psychology. 2019;(1):81–99. (In Russ.)

21. Proshina Z. G. Koncepcii globalizacii anglijskogo yazyka. Chelovek: Obraz i sushchnost'. Gumanitarnye aspekty. 2018;(1-2):12–30. (In Russ.)