Forming linguocuturological competence by using the material of Spanish and Russian proverbs about the woman

This work is aimed at studying the formation of linguoculturological competence by using the material of Spanish and Russian proverbs about the woman. The material of analysisis comprised by lexicographic sources includs the dictionaries of proverbs written down not only in Spain but also in the states of Latin America. The subject of selecting culturally significant material for forming linguoculturological competence as an important component of the communicative competence is acquiring a particularly topical character in the epoch of globalization in connection with the growth of economic and cultural contacts between Russia and Spanish-speaking world. Proverbs as instructional material are not very actively used in Spanish classroom environment, and not much attention has been paid so far to the linguodidactic potential of proverbs about the woman. Spanish proverbs about the woman studied against the background of, and in comparison with the corresponding Russian proverbs are of particular interest. Gender identity representations translate the specific understanding of gender roles shaped within the national culture. The results of analysis provide evidence for the diversity of female identity representations in the proverbs from emphasizing the sheer negative sides of the female nature to recognizing the female contribution as a wife and a mother. The proverbs about the woman bear the pronounced and rocentric character and tend to reflect sexist interpretations of female identity and female discrimination by the way of squeezing women out of active social life under the false pretext of their silly, vicious and malicious nature. Spanish proverbs show this attitude in a particularly vivid form, as many of them embrace the philosophy of symbolic violence. Conversely, Russian proverbs present a more dialectic and balanced way of looking at female identity. The research has interdisciplinary character, as its results present interest from the points of view of linguoculturology, phraseology, country studies, sociology and social anthropology. From the perspective of methods of teaching Spanish, the obtained results can provide basis for the development of exercises to improve monologue and dialogue speech skills, contribute to the acquisition by students of phonetic, lexical and grammar peculiarities of the language under study alongside with getting some knowledge on national traditions, folklore, lifestyle and culture of the people in Spain and Latin America