ABSTRACT
Common Russian textbooks mainly adhere to the norms of the codified Russian literary language, while the peculiarities of colloquial speech are all too often ignored or only marginally represented. Yet it is beyond doubt that colloquial Russian (CR) [русская разговорная речь] needs to be integrated into a dynamic foreign language classroom if learners are to keep pace with everyday target language use and usage. The question of what learners of Russian need or need not know in this context is crucial for teachers planning their lessons. This chapter defines CR as an integral part of Russian literary language and analyzes the reasons given in the research literature on whether CR should or should not be taught. The chapter also suggests exercises and tasks on integrating colloquial speech into the coursework. The authors highlight some of CR’s linguistic features and put special emphasis on language learners’ sociopragmatic skills as this competence is only occasionally represented in the literature reviewed.
