Despite the intense scientific and practical interest in assessing the textual content quality of a school textbook, there is still no transparent algorithm and objective criteria for such evaluation. This article aims to outline objective linguistic criteria for textbook text assessment using quantitative methods on the example of one of the main components of a Russian language textbook, i. e. exercise texts. The analysis was performed on the material of 8 lines of modern Russian language textbooks for primary school and 1 line of the digital educational service Yandex Textbook. The research employed the methods of automatic natural language processing, statistics, and corpus analysis of texts. As a result, we propose an algorithm for analysing the text library of a Russian language textbook according to the criteria of structural and lexical complexity, genre, stylistic and thematic diversity, and the degree of correspondence between the text library and the current state of the Russian language. The obtained results form an idea of the textual content of a modern Russian language textbook for primary school. Moreover, they highlight the specific features of text selection for modern traditional and digital Russian language textbooks and resources. Finally, the research outcomes raise questions concerning the methodological optimality of certain authorial decisions when compiling the text library of a textbook. The results of the study will be useful to authors of school textbooks on the Russian language and specialists in educational and methodological work.

The article examines the homonymy of words of different parts of speech in the context of teaching orthography to schoolchildren. This phenomenon requires special attention because, firstly, it underlies the understanding of morphology as a branch of linguistics. Secondly, homonymy is one of the causes of spelling errors which are difficult to avoid. Thirdly, understanding the nature of this phenomenon facilitates the perception of language as a system. The paper discusses the activity-based approach to learning the Russian language. Within its framework, no ready-made rules are imposed on schoolchildren. Instead, they are given problems. Solving them contributes to the development of students’ critical thinking, as well as a deeper understanding and appropriation of independently discovered knowledge. On the one hand, the study is based on the examination of linguistic units, on the other – on the analysis of students’ activity when solving orthographic problems. Based on the experience of using the Elkonin-Davydov developmental education system, we propose a tentative structure of a lesson included in the system of lessons on the topic Homonymy of words of different parts of speech. The article also describes individual assignments which are of a research nature and contribute to the development of a few competencies that transform a schoolchild from a recipient of information into a student-researcher. The element common to these lessons is an increasingly complex algorithm for distinguishing homonyms which belong to different parts of speech and are characterised by differences in spelling. The key con[1]clusions of the study reflected in the article include a description of the activity-based approach principles in relation to the study of grammatical homonymy. Motivation built on a "success situation" and a "gap situation", the use of quasi-research techniques, reliance on an algorithm for solving problems, and step-by-step practicing of each algorithm opera[1]tion are among these principles.

The article examines those All-Russian Olympiad assignments in the Russian language that include questions on punctuation. It is noted that punctuation as a separate section is not included in the methodological recommendations for compiling Olympiad assignments. There are several reasons accounting for the small number of punctuation Olympiad tasks. Firstly, modern Russian punctuation is variable. Thus, the use of one or another punctuation mark can be determined not only by the main structural-grammatical principle of punctuation, but by the semantic and intonation ones as well. Secondly, the absence of unified prescriptive rules leads to discrepancies in the explanation of a particular punctuation case. Nevertheless, assignments on difficult cases of punctuation are appropriate in the Russian language Olympiad since they are the type of research tasks that form textual analysis skills in the aspect of the norm variation processes.

The article presents a philological analysis of M. Yu. Lermontov’s poem "The Dying Gladiator". Line-by-line and comparative analysis, as well as the methods of "reference points" and slow reading are used. The study reveals the role of rhythm in expressing the subtext of the work and holding a dialogue with the reader. Rhythmic and verbal-figurative chiasmus is considered as the leading compositional device. It plays the role of an iconic sign recreating the image of the concentric bowl of the Roman Colosseum arena, which, in turn, performs the function of a symbol conveying the idea of the mutual reversibility of the roles of victims and killers. Based on the philological analysis data, the paper refutes the popular opinion about the secondariness and artificial nature of the second part of the poem. In it, just like in the first part, the idea of the destructive influence of passions and violations of the moral imperative on the history of mankind is put forward. The article argues that the artistic harmony image created by the exquisite rhythm and perfect form of the poem is an iconic reference to the Truth and Beauty revealed in Christ and the Moral Law.

The article examines I. S. Nikitin’s poetics from the point of view of its continuity in relation to the achievements of his predecessors, lyric poets, and those original features the poet himself developed. The main method is an end-to-end textual analysis of I. S. Nikitin’s poetry collection in the unity of content and form. Additionally, the study used the research methods of linguistic stylistics, linguistic poetics, semasiology, and structural-semantic syntax. The metrical features of poetic texts are given in the interpretations of M. L. Gasparov’s school. Though I. S. Nikitin considered A. V. Koltsov his immediate teacher, his poems contain noticeable images, motifs, and linguistic reminiscences referring to other poets’ creative work, especially A. S. Pushkin’s. I. S. Nikitin creatively interpreted certain Pushkinian linguo-poetic techniques (the antithesis of vice–virtue in the reflection on the role of the poet and poetry, the illustrative comprehension of canonical Christian texts, the realistic use of the ballad and idyll genres, the patriotic pathos of civic poems, the use of classical metrical schemes, and others). I. S. Nikitin made a significant contribution to improving the artistic language of Russian realist poetry. He developed the song genre in literature, introduced a variety of dramaturgical principles into lyric poetry, and proposed original compositional schemes for philosophical, social, and landscape poems. In his writings, I. S. Nikitin refined the poetic syntax of homogeneous constructions. Moreover, he extended the motivic boundaries of Russian lyric poetry through elaboration and precise observations, as well as enriched the linguo-stylistic repertoire of its vocabulary. I. S. Nikitin’s work is organically, closely, and versatilely connected with the content and language development of Russian poetry in the second half of the 19th century.

The need to improve the lexicographic description of the phraseological units and proverbs of biblical ori[1]gin which are not always fully parameterised in learners’ dictionaries, determines the relevance of the research presented in this article. The study aims to justify the methods for expanding the historical and etymological parametric zone of dictionary entries representing proverbs and phraseological units traced back to the Bible. Moreover, another goal is to develop new models for describing this linguistically and culturally valuable material in learners’ dictionaries intended, first and foremost, for primary school learners. Parametric analysis of modern lexicographic publications enabled us to identify the specific features of presenting the cultural and historical background of phraseological units and proverbs of biblical origin to schoolchildren, as well as to outline ways of improving their historical and etymological commentary. We developed our own materials using the method of lexicographic modeling and the author techniques of etymological paraphrasing. Through historical and etymological analysis, the origin of phraseological units and proverbs selected for lexicographic description was specified. The results of the study supplemented the theoretical and methodological basis of learner’s lexicography, as well as substantiated the use of models for describing proverbs and phraseological units dating back to biblical texts in a discursive dictionary. For instance, to represent expressions that are culturally significant but rare in modern speech, we suggest using a model of a comprehensive linguo-cultural text written by the author-compiler. In addition, a model of a narrative text on the issues relevant to children is proposed for actively functioning proverbs and phraseological units. The paper concludes that the developed lexicographic description models foreground the spiritual and moral potential of proverbs and phraseological units of biblical origin. Moreover, working with dictionary materials enables the accomplishment of educational objectives. It is emphasised that the practical va[1]lue of the developed models for describing proverbs and phraseological units lies in the possibility of their use by teachers when preparing informative teaching materials on phraseology and paremiology for a Russian language lesson or an extracurricular event. As a research outlook, we plan to develop the concept of a learner’s phraseological dictionary for secondary school students with extensive use of the biblical text and various research assignments.

This paper considers the specific features of the functioning of pronouns in political discourse. We analyse their role in the speech of the presenters and guests of the "60 Minutes" talk show. It belongs to the television discussion genre whose function is to form a collective political world picture by projecting and broadcasting certain images and meanings. The relevance of the research is due to the need not only for studying communication strategies and tactics in political actors’ speech, but also for analysing the impact of linguistic means on public opinion formation and transformation. Considering pronouns in the functional aspect enables us to identify the characteristic features that make pronouns one of the most effective means of speech influence (persuasion). Possessing manipulative potential, words of this morphological class can participate in the implementation of numerous communicative strategies and tactics, including the upward and downward strategies, the tactics of self-presentation, cooperation, impersonal accusation, discrediting, and the "us–them" opposition. The research uses discourse analysis, interpretation and contextual analysis techniques, and the communicative-pragmatic approach. As the obtained data show, pronouns can be employed to impose certain beliefs and opinions, to enhance the sense of unity and solidarity between the speaker and the audience, to shift the emphasis in the event under discussion. Moreover, they also prove to be a significant characteristic of politicians, reflecting their worldview.

The article defines the concept of "axiological paradigm" in its broad and narrow senses. Additionally, it considers axiological paradigm types, describes units with value-expressed content belonging to different levels. The characterisation of the anthropocentric paradigm of the conceptual field of the axiological paradigm is formed on the basis of the identified genetic semes and sense-making principles. They reflect the types of human relationships with reality and unreality and determine the boundaries of the core and peripheral zones of the field. Axiological meanings are conveyed primarily by verbs, nouns, and adjectives since these categories are the main expressors of the internal properties and semantic features of a particular conceptual field. Qualitative-quantitative differences in meanings are reflected both in the axiological paradigm and in the literary text: the creation of the lexical semantic field "Value", the use of linguistic units characterising material, intellectual, and spiritual values. The concepts "Faith", "Family", "Honour" dominate the linguo-cognitive axiological paradigm. They reveal the relationship between language, thinking, and communication. In the Russian picture of the world, the dominating moral and spiritual values not only convey the attitude towards God, but also become a qualitative characteristic of man. The analysis of the axiological paradigm in the Russian world picture is performed using the text of F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel "The Brothers Karamazov". The narrator devotes his careful attention to the establishment of moral values, the religious and philosophical beliefs of the characters in the novel, as well as their relationships and conflicts which are based on these values.

This article considers the lexeme ticket as a representative example of those words that outlasted the golden age of semantic and cultural-historical evolution in the Russian language. We analyse possible extralinguistic and intralinguistic reasons for extending the lexical combinability and semantic spectrum of the lexeme ticket in the second half of the 19th century. These causes determined the gradual increase in the mental significance of the word, as well as the origins of its loss of conceptual significance in the period after 1917. The fact that the word ticket could have the status of a concept in the Russian language of the second half of the 19th century can be proved based on F. M. Dostoevsky’s texts. His works not only show the ample lexical combinability of the analysed lexeme, but also provide examples of its metaphorical use. The research employed the historical, descriptive, and comparative methods in conjunction with semantic and componential analysis. The paper concludes that the number of meanings and meaning shades of the word ticket increased considerably in the second half of the 19th century. Thus, its lexical combinability extended, and the lexeme reached the semantic evolution peak. As a result, any piece of paper with any text was actually called a ticket. The general linguistic significance of the word gradually developed into a conceptual one, which was reflected in F. M. Dostoevsky’s writings. His texts contain the best examples of the philosophical and metaphorical use of the lexeme. For instance, the image of a ticket returned to God in the novel "The Brothers Karamazov" became a precedent phenomenon in the works of Russian philosophers and writers.

The article considers a heuristic conversation on a linguistic topic as one of the effective methods for developing not only cognitive activity and systems thinking in students, but also future Russian language teachers’ professional methodological thinking. The aim is to characterise the genre model of a heuristic conversation and describe the model for preparing future Russian language teachers to conduct a heuristic conversation on a linguistic topic. The study relied on observation of the educational process of philology students’ professional and methodological training at university (at Ivanovo State University). Moreover, we used questionnaires, formative and learning experiments, analysis of the products of students’ learning and professional activities, as well as statistical processing of results (Student’s t-test). The empirical research results were processed using the SPSS 17 statistical software. The article clarifies the concept of a «heuristic conversation» in relation to the goals of Russian language teaching at school. Additionally, it characterises the genre model of such conversations and describes the algorithm for training future Russian language teachers to hold a heuristic conversation on a linguistic topic. The study defined the criteria for assessing future teachers’ readiness to conduct a heuristic conversation on a linguistic topic. Moreover, we described the stages of work. They include familiarising students with the heuristic conversation method; organising observation of an experienced teacher’s heuristic conversation; developing and discussing a heuristic conversation in conditions of concerted effort in creative pairs; conducting a heuristic conversation on a linguistic topic at school for students in years 5–8 with a subsequent self-analysis; using this method during teaching practice at school. The paper gives assignments aimed at forming and developing skills in holding a heuristic conversation on a linguistic topic. In addition, we provide examples of heuristic conversations developed by students, as well as a methodological commentary on them.