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PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE IN ARMENIA - 1
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 14 2014
14 July 2014 - 9:27am
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The Russian language is studied in Armenian schools from the second
year, while all other foreign languages are studied from the third
year. Russian is still the language of some Armenian mass media -
the newspapers "Voice of Armenia," "New Time," "Republic of Armenia,"
and the radio program "Aijk" on Public Radio. All leading Russian
TV-channels are rebroadcast in the country. The population watches
most Western movies in Russian; moreover, private channels don't
have to follow the law on dubbing foreign films into Armenian. The
majority of internet resources also have Russian versions.
However, during the years of independence Armenia has faced new
challenges in the sphere of Russian language development. A generation
which has been torn away from a common language space is being raised
in the country. The number of people who speak Russian has fallen 25%.
According to the official data of the census of 1989, the share of
citizens who spoke Russian was more than 80%.
The countryside seems to be more troublesome. The main problem is a
lack of teachers in general, including Russian language teachers.
However, there is no generally-accessible testing system for the
Russian language, like TOEFL for English or DAF for German. This could
present a clear picture in the matter, as to solve the problem they
need precise data.
In the context of the development of Russian in Armenia there
are certain steps which could be taken within the framework of
Armenian-Russian cooperation. However, there are problems which Russia
could solve by itself, as it is interested in the preservation of
Russian spiritual culture.
As for joint tasks, there is improvement of teaching of Russian within
the framework of the school program. In Soviet times the majority
of Armenian pupils spoke Russian fluently. Probably it is useful to
study the programs and experience of the times.
Today the young generation has vast opportunities to study foreign
languages and continue their education abroad. It is necessary to
develop and implement programs on development of the Russian language
through promotion of one of the richest cultures of the world, which
could attract young people.
The Russian state could encourage the foundation of museums of
Russian art in several cities of Armenia, at least in two of them -
Yerevan (extension of the existing Museum of Russian Art) and Gyumri
(where the Russian military base is situated). These steps and a
well-thought-out PR campaign could play an effective role in promoting
Russian language and culture, and conducting classes of Russian and
Russian literature in museums and centers of Russian culture will
contribute to attracting interest in the culture and the language of
the neighboring country. Probably a settlement of the issue at state
level will demand a lot of time. However, there is an easier way:
there are many wealthy Armenians living in Russia, who would be glad
to contribute to a project which would be useful for both countries.
There is such a precedent. Gerard Cafesjian, an American philanthropist
of Armenian origin, has opened the Museum of Contemporary Art in
Yerevan. The museum was built in a park. Gerard Cafesjian decorated
the park with sculptures from all over the world.
By the way, soon an English garden will open in Yerevan.
To be continued
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/society/57625.html
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 14 2014
14 July 2014 - 9:27am
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The Russian language is studied in Armenian schools from the second
year, while all other foreign languages are studied from the third
year. Russian is still the language of some Armenian mass media -
the newspapers "Voice of Armenia," "New Time," "Republic of Armenia,"
and the radio program "Aijk" on Public Radio. All leading Russian
TV-channels are rebroadcast in the country. The population watches
most Western movies in Russian; moreover, private channels don't
have to follow the law on dubbing foreign films into Armenian. The
majority of internet resources also have Russian versions.
However, during the years of independence Armenia has faced new
challenges in the sphere of Russian language development. A generation
which has been torn away from a common language space is being raised
in the country. The number of people who speak Russian has fallen 25%.
According to the official data of the census of 1989, the share of
citizens who spoke Russian was more than 80%.
The countryside seems to be more troublesome. The main problem is a
lack of teachers in general, including Russian language teachers.
However, there is no generally-accessible testing system for the
Russian language, like TOEFL for English or DAF for German. This could
present a clear picture in the matter, as to solve the problem they
need precise data.
In the context of the development of Russian in Armenia there
are certain steps which could be taken within the framework of
Armenian-Russian cooperation. However, there are problems which Russia
could solve by itself, as it is interested in the preservation of
Russian spiritual culture.
As for joint tasks, there is improvement of teaching of Russian within
the framework of the school program. In Soviet times the majority
of Armenian pupils spoke Russian fluently. Probably it is useful to
study the programs and experience of the times.
Today the young generation has vast opportunities to study foreign
languages and continue their education abroad. It is necessary to
develop and implement programs on development of the Russian language
through promotion of one of the richest cultures of the world, which
could attract young people.
The Russian state could encourage the foundation of museums of
Russian art in several cities of Armenia, at least in two of them -
Yerevan (extension of the existing Museum of Russian Art) and Gyumri
(where the Russian military base is situated). These steps and a
well-thought-out PR campaign could play an effective role in promoting
Russian language and culture, and conducting classes of Russian and
Russian literature in museums and centers of Russian culture will
contribute to attracting interest in the culture and the language of
the neighboring country. Probably a settlement of the issue at state
level will demand a lot of time. However, there is an easier way:
there are many wealthy Armenians living in Russia, who would be glad
to contribute to a project which would be useful for both countries.
There is such a precedent. Gerard Cafesjian, an American philanthropist
of Armenian origin, has opened the Museum of Contemporary Art in
Yerevan. The museum was built in a park. Gerard Cafesjian decorated
the park with sculptures from all over the world.
By the way, soon an English garden will open in Yerevan.
To be continued
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/society/57625.html