Abstract
The article examines the phenomenon of cultural lacuna as a source of difficulties in the process of learning Russian as a foreign language. Particular attention is paid to the Chinese-speaking audience as the primary target group, for whom many elements of Russian culture are unfamiliar and require additional clarification. The necessity of systematically incorporating work with cultural lacuna into the educational process is emphasized, as it is essential for the effective development of intercultural communicative competence. Based on the analysis of empirical data and educational materials, specific methodological recommendations are formulated and digital solutions for their implementation are proposed.
The article examines methodological foundations for work with culturally marked lexis in teaching Russian as a foreign language to Chinese students under conditions of globalization. The central concept is the cultural lacuna—understood as the learners’ lack of equivalents for realia, concepts, and behavioral norms encoded in the language and discourse of native speakers. Drawing on interlingual lacuna (in V. G. Gak’s interpretation), the study shows that the principal sources of difficulty include Soviet realia (“five-year plan,” “subbotnik,” “Baikal– Amur Mainline,” “nomenklatura”); precedent names and cultural allusions (Ostap Bender, Anna Karenina, Sharikov, Baba Yaga, Cheburashka); phraseology with imagistic motivation (“to keep a stone in one’s bosom,” “to change one’s mind every five minutes,” “to carve it on one’s nose,” “sealed with seven seals,” “to have eaten a dog”); as well as quotations from mass culture and Soviet cinema. An analysis of student writing at levels B1–B2 and of widely used RFL textbooks reveals fragmented treatment of lacuna and the absence of systematic cultural comparison, which leads to avoidance of lacunar units and their substitution by imprecise circumlocutions.
The authors argue for the teacher’s role as a mediator of cultural meanings and propose a methodological toolkit: cultural comparison, contextualization, intertextuality, visualization; and digital solutions — adaptive multimedia modules with video content, glossaries, game-based scenarios, and project work. The article concludes that sustained, systematic work with lacunae yields a significant increase in intercultural competence, and outlines future directions: the creation of digital trainers and intercultural databases with annotated examples and visualizations.
Keywords
Cultural lacuna, Chinese-speaking audience, teaching Russian as a foreign language, intercultural competence, digital technologies.