Articles

In 2025 the scientific community, colleagues and students celebrate the jubilee of Professor Galina Georgievna Molchanova, Honored Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation, winner of the Lomonosov Prize for Pedagogical Activity, Doctor of Philology, Honorary Professor of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Honorary Worker of Professional Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Dean and Head of the Department of Linguistics, Translation and Intercultural Communication of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University. In 2018 Galina Georgievna Molchanova was awarded the gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation for her scientific and academic achievements. In 2024, she was awarded a high state award — the Order of Friendship for achievements in scientific and pedagogical activities, training of highly qualified specialists and achievements in the field of humanities.

The article examines the opportunities and challenges of integrating generative language models into professional foreign language teaching in higher education institutions. It explores theoretical frameworks for implementing neural networks in teaching processes, practical methodologies for using AI-based tools, and approaches to personalised learning pathways within autonomous AI-based environments. Findings indicate that AI technologies increase learner motivation, accelerate the acquisition of domain-specific vocabulary, and foster analytical skills. The article analyses metacognitive and cognitive learning strategies for which it is appropriate to use the capabilities of neural networks at the current stage of their development. However, their effectiveness remains dependent on teachers’ digital literacy and students’ self-regulated learning strategies. A critical challenge is to maintain a balance between technological integration and humanistic educational values. The authors present empirical evidence from classroom implementations, demonstrating the transformative potential of LLMs (Large Language Models) for modernising professional language education. The paper contributes to ongoing discussions on how to optimise human-AI collaboration in academic settings while maintaining pedagogical integrity.

The history of Moscow University has been studied in detail and comprehensively enough for 270 years of its existence. One of the aspects neglected by researchers is the everyday side of the university existence, including that related to the problems of nutrition. At the same time, it occupies an important place in the university world, and not only naturally physiological, but also has a great culture-forming significance. Suffice it to recall the beautiful tradition of making and distributing mead, which became a kind of symbol of the renewed university of the new time. Or the image of the eternally hungry student, which is an integral part of the Russian culture of the 19th century. There are numerous sources, the most important of which, perhaps, are memoirs and recollections of former students of the university, which give a rather vivid and diverse picture of the daily life and everyday life of Moscow students, and both the general tendencies uniting different epochs and the differences caused by the course of history can be traced quite clearly. They allow us to outline with a high degree of reliability the peculiarities of the culture of everyday life of students, including in matters of food. The article discusses M.V. Lomonosov’s proposals on the organisation of students’ meals, the peculiarities of the daily life of the state-paid students who were on full state support until the middle of the 19th century, the problems of the self-paid students who lived and provided themselves with food on their own, and the spirit of camaraderie, which was the main feature of the everyday life of students.

The article explores the concept of the rhizome as a methodological paradigm for analyzing subcultural phenomena within the context of postmodern cultural reality. Drawing on the ideas of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, the rhizome is understood as a decentralized and nonlinear structure that allows for multiple points of entry, the absence of hierarchy, and constant transformation. The author emphasizes the networked nature of subcultures, their metastructural connections, fragmentation, hybridity, performativity, plasticity, and capacity for self-organization. The study focuses on the examples of such subcultural communities as goths, role-players, transhumanists, and cyberpunk groups, whose identities are formed through dynamic interactions, symbolic codes, and performative practices. The epistemological function of subcultures is analyzed, revealing alternative forms of knowledge and perception that oppose institutional rationality, universalist frameworks, and normative categories. Particular attention is paid to the temporality of subcultural existence, based on event-driven actualization, local activity rhythms, and semantic density. The article draws on the latest Russian-language research in cultural studies, postmodern philosophy, semiotics, and sociology, offering a relevant theoretical tool for interpreting contemporary cultural processes and unstable forms of identity in the digital age.

The article examines the ethnocultural features of the teacher’s image, identified on the basis of the analysis of linguistic data of the Russian and Chinese languages. The study was carried out on the material of dictionaries and text corpora of the two languages. The purpose of the work is to determine the general and national-specific features in the formation of the teacher’s image in the Russian and Chinese languages. The object of the study is the definitions of the words eacher / female teacher in the dictionaries of the Russian and Chinese languages, as well as comparisons, proverbs, sayings, precedent statements about the teacher in the Russian and Chinese linguistic cultures. National-cultural coding of the teacher’s image also occurs with the help of a number of cultural standards that differently reflect the dominant features of this concept as a socio-cultural value characterizing Russian and Chinese cultures. The study revealed that in Russian the words teacher and female teacher differ in their evaluative and value-based conceptualization. By established tradition, education in contemporary Russian schools is predominantly associated with the image of a woman, that is, the female teacher. In Chinese culture, the teacher in gender terms is traditionally often described as a man, a noble man. In Chinese culture and its linguistic reflection, the image of the teacher occupies a strong, unshakable position, determined by the ideas of Confucius. In Russian linguoculture, the image of the teacher receives additional connotations due to socio-economic factors. The results of this study can be used in lexicographic practice and in teaching Russian and Chinese.

The commemorative discourse of the state leader, reflecting the memorial culture of the national audience, is a conceptual and linguistic unity capable of determining the vectors of national ideology and the social existence logic. The study focuses on the commemorative acts of Philip VI’s institutional communication, their communicative parameters and discursive components. The present article attempts to identify the verbalisation peculiarities of the intentionally conditioned linguocognitive patterns of memory in the Philip VI’s institutional discourse at the level of selected linguistic means (linguistic forms and strategies), as well as to determine the principles of mnemic content selection that justify its modification. The research is carried out taking into account the theoretical approaches adopted in the memory studies and linguomnemology. Public commemoration as a basic component of the monarch’s communicative practice is considered to be a purposeful state policy aimed at actualizing a reference event/name in the national collective memory.

This article explores cognitive strategies for translating Russian medical terminology into Chinese. The aim of the study is to identify and classify approaches that ensure precise and conceptually adequate rendering of medical terms in the context of linguistic and cultural asymmetry. The research employs methods of cognitive and contrastive analysis, translation studies approaches, examination of lexical formation models, as well as analysis of corpus data and medical reference materials. The study investigates four key mechanisms of term formation: word formation, terminologization of common language units, abbreviation, and metaphorization. For each mechanism, relevant cognitive translation strategies are identified, including conceptual expansion, explicative calquing, and the construction of cross-linguistic terminological maps that reflect differences in cognitive models. Special attention is given to challenges arising from the translation of homonymous and latent metaphorical units, as well as culturally marked terms. The article introduces the concept of conceptual adaptation—the process of integrating a medical concept into a different linguistic and cultural worldview, based on cognitive models such as frames and prototype schemas. The findings confirm that high-quality medical translation is only possible through the integration of linguistic knowledge, a cognitive approach to meaning modeling, and professional understanding of the specialized domain. The proposed strategies may be applied in translator training programs and in the practice of medical and scientific translation between Russian and Chinese.

The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of problems arising during the translation of feature films related to differences in cultural-historical contexts and sociolinguistic specificities across different countries. It examines mechanisms for transferring intertextual phenomena present in movies as well as processes involved in forming and functioning ideologemes— key symbolic constructs representing fundamental ethnic cultural values. Special attention is given to preserving the uniqueness of national cultural components in language transfer since adaptation often leads to loss of important ethnocultural characteristics. Specific examples of unsuccessful translation solutions applied to Russian and Italian films are provided, emphasizing the necessity of taking into account conceptual cultural specificity and developing effective methodologies for translating audiovisual materials that adequately preserve the author’s artistic intent. The findings highlight the importance of further development of theory and practice in analyzing cinema within modern global cultural environments. This research will be valuable for specialists working on issues concerning intercultural communication, linguistic-cultural studies, and translation science.

The paper examines interdiscursivity in fiction and focuses on the inclusion of Latin entomosemisms (insect names) which indicate the name of the species and their genus. The study shows that these inclusions are not uncommon in fiction, in particular in adventure, science fiction and autobiographical prose. The analyzed material shows that Latin names do not always emphasize the scientific nature of the text, but can also impart grotesqueness and irony to it. In addition, it is noted that this technique is more typical of the prose of the 19th and 20th centuries, rather than of contemporary literature.

The purpose of the paper is to discuss and point out the urgent necessity to constantly introduce modern linguistic methods into classrooms when teaching foreign languages at a university level. In particular, one of the problems, which characterises modern educational environment as far as professional linguistic training is concerned, comes as a result of both constant upgrading of professional standards and changes in communication media and environment. One possible way to address the problem is to introduce into the process analytical methods based on shared theoretical foundations in psychological and pedagogical sciences as well as in philology. The paper illustrates the step-by-step analysis of the British polycode (multimodal) text heavily loaded with double meanings. The latter require students’ cultural awareness. As the basic theoretical ground, C. Jung’s archetypes were chosen. When applied to lexicographic data, “Macbeth” by W. Shakespeare and British political cartoon by J. Gillray, this theory allowed to demonstrate the changes. Thus, the archetype of the Sage (Old Wizard) became blended with the image of the witch, which also obtained certain archetypical features. The research offers etymological analysis of the key lexemes. All these further serve as the ground for constructing problem-based tasks, aimed at developing polycode competence and cultural awareness of students in the course of their professional linguistic training. Some experimental data are also provided.

The article presents the corpus-assisted research of the functional potential of the colon in the Russian-French language pair. For the data description, a three-part structure was determined. Following that structural model, a contrastive analysis of the colon was performed in order to uncover and then describe its functional potential in the studied language pair, which allowed to solve the following tasks: 1) to calculate the frequency of the colon in the compared languages; 2) to clarify its functional potential there; 3) to identify the zones of functional symmetry and asymmetry. The main information tool is a supracorpora database that stores parallel texts from the Russian National Corpus. It allows for generating the search queries to process the punctuation component in parallel texts. Corpus-based contrastive studies of punctuation are directly related to current challenges i n computer science. They are essential for designing a range of modern AI-based information products, particularly next-generation voice assistants. Additionally, their findings will contribute to improving machine translation technologies. They will aid in calibrating and refining the training of machine translation systems to account for punctuation differences between source and target languages. Moreover, these results will be of use in advancing AI-driven subtitling technologies.

The article discusses emergence and development of words whose roots have been borrowed from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean and have undergone further derivation in Russian. The author argues that this is an intermediary case between loanwords and foreign words that have not yet fully assimilated in the recipient language. The article provides for the semantic classification of East Asian loan roots, loanword classification into parts of speech among which are not only nouns but also many adjectives and even some verbs and adverbs. Semantic development of several derivatives is dwelt on. Characteristics and roles of affixes in East Asian loanwords are discussed. Variant forms of some derivatives are also a focus of this study, as well as the reasons for variability. In conclusion, the author draws attention to the mediating role of global English that brings in new concepts to other languages and cultures. These concepts, when verbalized, get local forms thanks to the derivational means of the recipient language.

Today the need to teach a foreign language in the context of a dialogue of cultures and civilizations is obvious. Therefore, a deep linguodidactic study of culture-specific aspects of a studied language is necessary. Idioms, as a storage of a culture’s memory and means of increasing expressiveness of a statement, are an important part of a student’s linguistic repertoire on the level of communicative proficiency C1-C1+. That level generally corresponds to the level of Master’s degree students majoring in ‘Linguistics’. 

This paper gives an insight into developing Master’s degree students’ idiomatic competence, as well as clarifies the term ‘idiomatic competence’ for the field of higher education. Linguodidactic analysis of 10 student books on idioms shows a lack of problem-solving tasks. In addition, the necessity of implementing communicative training for contextually acceptable use of idiomatic expressions in professional oral and written foreign language speech is substantiated. In the end, the author presents methodological fundamentals for idiomatic enrichment of Master’s degree students’ public speech, and describes the principles of organizing a system of interconnected cultural and linguocultural problem-solving tasks and assignments.

The article discusses the changes in the state final certification program for students in the field of “Linguistics,” profile “Intercultural Communication,” that occurred in the 2023-2024 academic year. In the context of globalization and the increasing significance of intercultural communication, the relevance of using portfolios as an assessment tool is emphasized, as it allows for an expanded testing construct and a deeper reflection of students’ knowledge and skills. A detailed description of the new structure of the state final exam is provided, which includes all communicative activities: reception, mediation, interaction, as well as production, representing both oral and written speech. These changes are aimed at developing comprehensive skills in students that are necessary for successful interaction in a multilingual environment.

The article also addresses changes in the procedures and assessment criteria, which allow for a more objective evaluation of students’ achievements. Key stages of the exam preparation course are analyzed in detail, highlighting potential organizational, methodological, and psychological challenges that both students and instructors may encounter. The experience of conducting the exam is summarized, including feedback from the subject-examining commission and students, as well as a discussion of the impact of format changes on learning and exam preparation, underscoring the importance of adapting the educational process to contemporary requirements.

Bernhard Schlink’s novel “The Reader” belongs to the kind of works of fiction that are referred to as “remembrance and reminders” literature, thus this narrative fits into the commemorative discourse, particularly in the dimension explored by the French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs. This pertains to the congruence of such concepts as individual memory and collective memory, or in other words, autobiographical and historical memory. Later, Halbwachs’s theory would be further developed by German Egyptologist Jan Assmann, who distinguished between “living” memory, which is born in the process of direct communication, and symbolically cultural, existing within the framework of societal representations. The idea of overlapping two memory types and the possibility of their “ratification” by the memory bearer was formulated by the French researcher in the book “Les Cadres Sociaux de la Memoire” a hundred years ago, in 1925. However, the relevance of this book is obvious today and more than at the time of its publication. B. Schlink’s novel becomes a vivid illustration of the problem of the rejection of the young generation of Germany in the first decade after World War II of collective memory in favor of individual memory, as well as an attempt to comprehend this socio-historical discourse. The aim of the work is to study the process of collective memory formation in post-war Germany depicted in the novel, refracted through the prism of personal perception of the cultural narrative.