Objectification of the concept Russian language in the perception of non-native speakers from Caspian countries

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Abstract

The article examines the role of the Russian language which acts as a catalyst for the balanced development of the main activities of the Caspian Sea peoples. The authors emphasize the importance of Russian as a language of international communication, a language of friendship which, together with political, economic and social factors, can contribute to the unity of the cultural and educational space in the multiethnic Caspian Sea region.
The study focuses on objectification of the key concept Russian language in the perception of non-native speakers from the Caspian states who come to study at Astrakhan State University. The article presents the results of an associative experiment, aimed at revealing specific features of the cognitive structure Russian language, formed in the foreign students’ minds, which has a significant impact on their country-through-language and linguocultural knowledge. The study scope includes the means of objectifying the concept Russian language and dynamics of its perception by nonnative speakers depending on the level of the students’ language training during the whole period of their studies at university, and a wide range of axiological judgments, expressed in the definitions given by the students during the associative experiment.