UKRAINIAN EPISTOLARY HERITAGE AS A MATERIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGNERS’ WRITING SKILLS: LETTERS OF LESIA UKRAINKA

Abstract

The paper deals with writing as a type of speech activity in terms of linguodidactics. The purpose of the study is to highlight Lesya Ukrainka’s epistolary heritage as a material for developing the writing skills of foreigners learning Ukrainian. The choice of material is due to a number of factors, including the outstanding figure of Lesya Ukrainka, her powerful epistolary talent, multilingualism, the artist’s cultural and translation activities. The free access to the letters on the website of the publication, where spelling and punctuation are presented per the norms of modern spelling, makes it possible to use these texts in teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language. Although the use of Lesya Ukrainka’s texts as teaching material for foreign language students already has a good tradition, her epistolary heritage is only beginning to attract the interest of teachers of Ukrainian as a foreign language. The paper focuses on theoretical and practical recommendations for developing writing skills in a foreign audience. The paper highlights the place of writing Ukrainian letters in the methodology of teaching the language as a foreign language. It outlines the materials and tasks for foreigners to develop their skills in writing friendly and business letters in Ukrainian. The paper emphasizes the importance of the preparatory stage, which includes a set of tasks for working on the forms of the vocative case, formulas of address, greetings, farewells, expressions of gratitude, etc. Special attention is paid to the structure of a letter in the Ukrainian language. It has been proved that working with Lesya Ukrainka’s letters can effectively develop writing skills. The article presents language materials and a list of tasks for different levels of Ukrainian language proficiency that students can do based on Lesya Ukrainka’s letters. Such tasks will help foreigners develop their writing skills, improve their knowledge of the Ukrainian language, and contribute to the formation of socio-cultural competence. Key words: Ukrainian as a foreign language, writing as a type of speech activity, epistolary, letter, Lesya Ukrainka.