Advantages of the Japanese Historical Novel as a Means of Forming Linguocultural Competence

https://doi.org/10.26907/2658-3321.2024.7.1.19-28

Abstract

Japanese society has gone through many stages in its development that have made it extremely authentic and different from other ethnic societies. This uniqueness is manifested in the Japanese language, which structure contains many different nuances, making it a unique language system. In this regard, the formation of linguocultural competence, that includes capability of making the most effective communication due to the consideration of extra-linguistic features, is of particular importance in teaching Japanese. There are no full-fledged Russian-language aids aimed at the formation of the competence. Moreover, research of the optimal technology, as well as the choice of appropriate language materials is relevant. In this study, Japanese historical novels are proposed as a means of forming linguocultural competence in Japanese language teaching. This genre flourished in the middle of the twentieth century, and the works belonging to it combine the realistic history of the Japanese Middle Ages and the psychologism of modernist literature. This makes these novels a rich source of linguistic material used in a variety of contexts, which can have a positive impact on the formation of linguocultural competence. In addition, works belonging to this genre clearly demonstrate the social vertical characteristic of Japan, the relationships within which influence the choice of linguistic means. Also, an important advantage of using historical novels in the educational process is the possibility for students to anticipate the content of the subsequent text because the plot is based on historical events.