Russian case system against the background of the Sinhalese language tradition: linguodidactic aspect

The subject of this research is the relevant questions of teaching Russian language in Sri Lanka. The analysis of curriculum for teaching Russian language developed by the Maharagama National Institute of Education (Colombo) together with the leading teachers of the University of Kelaniya demonstrates that learning Russian language in Sri Lanka carries not only educational, but also universal cultural significance, which corresponds to the national objectives in the area of education and is an integral part of their solution. The biggest difficulty faced by Sinhalese students in studying Russian language is the Russian case system, which differs substantially from the grammatical system of their native language. The article examines the peculiarities of Sinhalese case system. Leaning on the extensive linguistic material, the author analyzes and classifies the key peculiarities of the Sinhalese inflection of noun. The conclusion is drawn that one of the most effective methods of teaching Russian language to Sinhalese students lies in application of comparative approach. The analysis of meanings and functions of cases, understanding the differences between the Russian and Sinhalese grammatical systems allows identifying the most effective approaches towards teaching Russian as a foreign language. The comparative approach contributes to successful learning of prepositional-case system of the Russian language, and prevents consistent grammatical errors in the speech of foreign students.