“Russian as we speak it” (about Serafima A. Khavronina and the book of her life)

The article analyzes one of the most famous textbooks by S.A. Khavronina for studying Russian as a foreign language “Russian as we speak it”. The book has become a hallmark of the Russian methodology and culture of teaching a non-native language abroad. The author examines the structure of the book, emphasizes the innovative findings of S.A. Khavronina, speaks about the features of presenting and explaining the material. Special attention is paid to the communicative orientation of the textbook, which for the first time offered a clear, simple and at the same time methodologically based strategy for teaching Russian as a foreign language. According to the author of the article, the book by S.A. Khavronina is an example of a balanced approach to the analysis of how the live speech influences on foreigners. It solves the key tasks of modern methodology of Russian as a foreign language: grammar-translated, personal-practical and audio-linguistic. The article draws readers’ attention to the problem of creating a modern textbook on Russian and intercultural communication, taking into account the best achievements in the history of these disciplines, using traditional approaches proven over the years and the latest methods of studying language as a cultural phenomenon.