НЕКОТОРЫЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ ГРАММАТИКИ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА И РУССКОГО КАК ИНОСТРАННОГО: РАЗЛИЧИЯ И СХОЖИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ ДЛЯ ОСОЗНАННОГО ПОНИМАНИЯ ФУНКЦИОНИРОВАНИЯ АСПЕКТА ДЕЙСТВИЯ

Асонова Г.А.

ORCID: 0000-0002-2456-5503, Преподаватель русского языка как иностранного, Российский университет дружбы народов

НЕКОТОРЫЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ ГРАММАТИКИ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА И РУССКОГО КАК ИНОСТРАННОГО: РАЗЛИЧИЯ И СХОЖИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ ДЛЯ ОСОЗНАННОГО ПОНИМАНИЯ ФУНКЦИОНИРОВАНИЯ АСПЕКТА ДЕЙСТВИЯ

Аннотация

В статье рассмотрено несколько аспектов процессуальности действия как одной из важных характеристик функционирования английского языка и русского языка как иностранного. Сравнение двух языков связано с обоюдным интересом изучения русского языка англоговорящими студентами, и английского – русскоговорящими студентами. Автором проанализированы грамматические особенности времени данных языков и связанного с ним аспектов действия, понимание которых поможет учащимся сформировать и развить не только грамматические навыки и знания, но и коммуникативные умения. В статье обоснован процесс развития коммуникативной компетенции иностранных и российских слушателей при помощи усвоения грамматики как важного аспекта английского и русского языка как иностранного.

Ключевые слова: грамматические навыки, коммуникативная компетенция, процессуальность действия, грамматическая категория времени.

Asonova G.A.

ORCID: 0000-0002-2456-5503, The Russian language teacher, Russian university of people’s friendship

THE GRAMMAR OF ENGLISH COMPARING TO THE GRAMMAR OF RUSSIAN AS A FOREIGN: DIFFERENCES AND COMMON CHARACTERISTICS FOR PERCEIVED UNDERSTANDING OF ASPECT OF AN ACTION’S FUNCTIONING

Abstract

The article has reviewed several aspects of processuality of an action as one of the important characteristics of English and Russian as a foreign languages’ way of functioning. Comparison of two languages is connected to a reciprocate interest of studying Russian by English speaking learners and of studying English by Russian speaking learners. The author has analyzed the grammar peculiarities of the languages’ tense system and its aspects, comprehension of which will help learners not only to form and develop their grammar skills and knowledge, but also their communicative skills. The article has explained the process of communicative competence development with the help of understanding grammar as a highly important aspect of English and Russian as a foreign.

Keywords: grammatical skills, communicative competence, processuality of an action, grammar category of the tenses.

At the modern time the willingness to study Russian as a foreign has become much more popular and is explained by the political, cultural and educational relationships between countries all around the world and Russia. The English language has itself always been and still is a global language of international communication. The fact that both these languages require to be learned now if not the absolute, but true. The present article is heading for showing a tremendous importance of grammar system of languages, a good command of category of tenses. A better understanding of how languages can be effectively learned will come to learners if they possess a grammar system of a language. Despite a fact that nowadays the communicative approach or the natural approach are in demand, grammas as the grand aspect of a language has been no way to go without it.

Hypotheses of the present research in the article includes the presumption of grammar as basic foundation of the English and Russian languages. If we suppose that grammar exists to develop the consequent communicative speech, then a closer look on both languages’ grammar characteristics should be done. To underline the same characteristics of English and Russian grammar has to be said the following: 1) Nature of languages is based on its tenses functioning. 2) Knowledge of verbs helps to create the speech. 3) Grammar has parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, personal and possessive pronouns. 4) In both languages there are affirmative, negative and question sentences. 5) Nouns can be singular and plural. 6) Conjunctions and prepositions denote location and time meaning.

The knowledge of these factors help learners to gain an idea of how to use the language. If they know verbs, they can express their ideas better and in many ways. If they understand the tense influence on the meaning of a sentence, they can be more accurate in presenting their views. Availability of parts of speech in languages give students an opportunity to use them in their expressions and statements.

Different peculiarities of both languages’ grammar is that in Russian verb functions in an exclusive way that don’t exist in English but it doesn’t detract the importance of the English verb: 1) Russian verb influences on the choice of endings of the nouns and adjectives, personal and possessive pronouns due to existence of cases («Я хочу воду, пожалуйста»; «Можно мне газированной воды», «Где тут есть газированная вода?», «Мы живем с нашей русской соседкой» 2) Plural forms of nouns have many exceptions but not as many as it couldn’t be learned (окна, глаза, директора; стулья, братья, друзья; яблоки and so on) 3) Singular forms of nouns are created due to their gender (feminine, masculine, neuter). 4) Adjectives follow nouns everywhere if they are highly connected to first and belong to them in a sentence («Красивая девушка гуляла в парке», «Мы говорили о красивых девушках», «Любовь не значит желание красивой внешности»). 5. Adverbs relate to verbs and adjectives relate to nouns («жить хорошо не запретишь», «хорошая жизнь не запрет»).

The possibility of being able to talk in a foreign language comes from two factors:a) a good comprehension of a language’s grammar, b) learning to use and practice the grammar with the right vocabulary of a language. The grammar of  English is necessary to be learned as well as the grammar of Russian. But for Russians not all tenses of English has a sense according to their way of comprehension of an action to be done. For example, Present Perfect in the English language represents a highly interesting phenomenon for Russians, because Russian mind doesn’t presume such thinking under what Present Perfect meaning can be really understood or has its real sense. For Russian people Present Perfect is equal to Past Simple. An action in both tenses has happened or happened. For us it’s almost or quite the same. Though some Russians don’t really see the meaning of this particular tense, others still do. In methodic of teaching English Present Perfect has minimum three meanings for its existence and way of being expressed: a) an action has been done just now («I have eaten that cake»); b) an action happened not long ago or long ago, but it’s been presented only at the present moment meaning to be a new information in conversation («You’ve done your hair cut»). Should be noted that often in news information can be presented in the Present Perfect form as it’s just happened («The company has won…»; c) an action of Present Perfect is equal to an action of Present Perfect Continuous (for example, «a plane has been flying for about three hours » can be replaced by «a plane has flown now for about 3 hours»); d) Present Perfect denoted the experience of a person («I have been to Africa», «What results have you reached so far?», «She has met Nick twice»). As it’s well known Present Perfect is not the only tense in English. The system of English tenses can be presented in a following brief description: there are three tenses which are Past, Present, Future. Each of these tenses has its aspects which are four: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous. The same goes for Present: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous and for Future: Future Simple, Future Continuous, Future Perfect. Why do tenses have these aspects? Because this is the way the English language works. It demands an action to go in a particular way, either now (the aspect of Continuous), either regularly (the aspect of Simple), either above mentioned meanings of Perfect aspect, or either an action has started but hasn’t been finished yet (the aspect of Perfect Continuous). All these aspects live in three tenses. They represent a particular moment in time. That’s why when students learn English, they should understand when and how to use grammar aspects of tenses and with the help of vocabulary they would be able to speak the language. The most difficult but not impossible grammar forms to be learned exist in the Russian language. Normally students at the universities or preparatory faculties have to learn Russian grammar quite seriously, because their knowledge will influence on their exam’s marks. With or without a strong motivation or their personal willingness to learn the language eventually within 8 months of preparatory faculty they manage to learn it to the level A2-B1 and speak Russian. But at language courses in Russian cities, especially in the city of Moscow communicative approach is presented. Necessarily to say that the most important scientific part of Russian grammar is happened to be the verb. The verb denotes three tenses as well: present, past, future. But the Russians have no such comprehension of aspects like the English do. In Russian mind there are only two ways of an action. An action can be presented as a process (comparing to English it’s equal to Simple, Continuous and Perfect Continuous aspects) and as a result (comparing to English it’s equal to Perfect aspect). It’s either an action to be still going or was going or will be going (will go) («он читал», «он читает сейчас», «он будет читать завтра»); or an action has performed itself (denoting any past finished result or quickly done action) («я прочитала книгу», «вы рассказали текст») or an action will have finished one time or quickly in any future context («он прочитает», «мы напишем»). These aspects of an action create imperfective or perfective verbs. The difficulty of learning these verbs lay in the variety of their forms. But in order to overcome a language barrier it’s important to remember that Russian verbs with all their prefixes and suffixes can be learned and moreover stick to one’s mind in a way learners will soon adapt and start thinking like Russians and possess the language guessing.

Summing up the above, grammar peculiarities do not dominate or detract the meaning of each language. The comprehension of grammar leads to a right expression of one’s thoughts and views in speech. To be able to speak Russian as a foreign or English language learners should follow grammar rules and gain more communicative practice. The most attention should be paid to tenses and verbs as they happen to be the foundation of languages. Verb denotes an action. Action is what people usually talk about. The tenses have their aspects in which actions are performed according to their own rules. Knowledge of these rules will lead learners to the right communication in English or Russian.

References

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2. Asonova G. A. Grammatiko-kommunikativnye uprazhnenija s elementami igry kak sposob aktivizacii vladenija russkim jazykom kak inostrannym. – 2013. – №3. – P.79-85.
3. Shukin A. N. Obuchenie rechevomu obshheniju na russkom jazyke kak inostrannom. Metody. Priemy. Rezultaty. – 2012. – P. 784.