Implementation of theoretical approaches to synonymy in the Russian language methodology

The purpose of the paper is to analyze modern approaches to synonymy in linguistics and their realization in the methodology of the Russian language teaching. The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that synonymy plays a significant role in the language educational process practiced at schools. The originality of the study is based on the analysis of modern approaches toward synonymy and identification of their strengths and weaknesses. The modern approaches toward synonymy are considered from the stand point of contemporary linguistics; their realization in the methodology of the Russian language teaching is also studied. There are 5 linguistic approaches toward synonymy: denotative (it assumes the identity of extra linguistic reality), traditional (it considers synonyms as words with identical or similar meanings), structural (it formulates the formal features of synonymy), pragmatic (it deals with the functional nature of synonymy), and psycholinguistic (it interprets synonymy as close meanings in the speakers’ lexicon). Although the traditional approach frequently employed in linguistics is criticized, it is fully implemented in the methodology of the Russian language teaching. The use of the traditional approach limits the choice of synonyms, but most of the school students intuitively expand the list of potential synonyms. It is assumed that the deviation from the established traditional approach toward synonymy might allow expansion of its traditional frames thus meeting institutive understanding of the nature of synonyms by the majority of school student