ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a review of the research on the acquisition of Russian morphology and discusses how it informs the practice of teaching Russian as a foreign or second language (L2 Russian). Influential publications from the current decade are reviewed, particularly research that directly addresses classroom instruction of L2 Russian or where instructional strategies can be unambiguously extrapolated. First, I analyze the gap between research and teaching practice. Then, I discuss why Russian morphology should be regarded as a central element of L2 Russian instruction based on the qualities of the Russian language and the latest research regarding the acquisition of L2 morphology. I provide a brief overview of the distinct features of the Russian language, followed by a literature review on the acquisition of inflection, derivation, and compounding and address their relevance to the instruction of L2 Russian. Finally, I highlight the necessity of magnifying the voices of practitioners who work with learners of L2 Russian in diverse settings. The overall result presents a picture of recent theoretical and research advances in teaching Russian as a morphologically rich language through the lens of classroom application. The chapter contributes to balancing research and practice fields of L2 Russian by contextualizing research findings in the practice of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) and encourages self-reflection for both teachers and researchers of L2 Russian.
