Людмила Веденина, Honorary Professor of MGIMO University of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of RussiaНазад
Людмила Веденина, Honorary Professor of MGIMO University of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Russia
By M.K. Ogorodov[1]
Lyudmila Georgiyevna Vedenina graduated from the Philology Department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University; besides she received the postgraduate education at the Romance Philology Division (Lomonosov Moscow State University), as well as completed French Civilization courses at the Sorbonne (University of Paris IV). Vedenina regards as her teachers Marina S. Gurycheva, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Ruben Alexandrovich Budagov and a well-known French scientist Andre Martinet who was one of the originators of the functional approach in European language science.
The entire research and pedagogical activity of Lyudmila Vedenina is linked with MGIMO where she started to work in 1961 and rose through the ranks from a teacher to professor, Doctor of Philology. Lyudmila Vedenina currently works at French Language Division No 1 where she teaches French and gives the course of lectures on Linguistic and Cultural Studies of France. She is the author of more than 200 academic papers. In science she is interested in the phenomena that are poorly studied or deviate from the generally spread and recognized ones. Three main areas of her research are as follows:
French language syntax (Candidate`s Thesis on Functional Features of Nominal Sentences of Modern French, 1963; French Sentence in Speech, 1st edition - 1991, 2nd edition - 2009, 200 pages
Graphic form of a linguistic sign (monograph French Punctuation, 1975, 167 pages; the Doctor`s Thesis on French Punctuation and its Role in Constructing Sentences, 1980);
Cultural Linguistics and Culture-Oriented Linguistics.
The special feature of Lyudmila Vedenina`s scientific works is their conclusiveness and the absence of any kind of speculative conclusions. Her studies are based on wide and versatile language material along with the linguistic experiments.
Lyudmila Vedenina is a member of the Thesis Boards of a number of universities, including MGIMO, a tutor of candidates` dissertations, a meticulous and benevolent official opponent, an author of numerous reviews. Being member of the Paris Linguistic Society, the International Society of Functional Linguistics, the International Federation of Teachers of French and the Association of Teachers of French in Russia, Lyudmila Vedenina many times took part in international forums of linguists and pedagogues. She brings from her foreign trips new ideas, new projects and materials that she generously shares with her students and colleagues.
Lyudmila Vedenina takes part in French research projects. The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research) commissioned her to write the work Linguistic Sense of Typographic Symbols (L.G. Vёdёnina. Pertinence linguistique de la prёsentation typographique, 1989, 160 p.), which was published in French in Paris. Nina Catach, a French linguist, one of the moist qualified specialists in the graphical form of a linguistic sign, points out in the preface to this work that the study of the Russian scientist is groundbreaking: "A bien des ёgards ce livre est un phare, qui va ёclairer un domaine jusqu`ici dans l`ombre et mёconnu" ["In many aspects this book is a lighthouse lightening the sphere that until now has been in the shadow and remained unexplored"]. In addition to that, various French scientific periodicals (La Linguistique, Langue fran?aise, Lettre de la FIPF) published a number of Lyudmila Vedenina`s articles on the problems of syntax, cultural linguistics and teaching of French as a foreign language in Russia.
Lyudmila Vedenina familiarizes the Russian public with the works of French specialists - in particular, with the works of the Functional School linguists, whose research methods she uses in her studies. She is the translator and author of the preface to the Linguistics book by Mamudyan (M. Mamudyan. Linguistics. Translated from French by L.G. Vedenina, 1985, 200 p.), as well as the author of the articles about French functionalism (e.g., L.G. Vedenina. Functional School in Modern Foreign Linguistics./ Issues of Linguistics, 1978. - No 6, p. 64-78).
Research in the field of linguistics and culture-oriented linguistics occupies an important place in Lyudmila Vedenina`s scientific work. Lyudmila Vedenina is one of the founders of this branch of the domestic philology and she is an author of a number of fundamental works in this field, such as: France and Russia: the Dialogue of Cultures (in French), 2000, 304 p.; France, French People, French Language (in French), 2001, 264 p. Her work in this field culminated in the publication of Cultural Dictionary in France in 1997. Lyudmila Vedenina acted as the Managing Editor and one of the authors of the dictionary. In 2008, this work, considerably altered and expanded, was republished under the title France Great Dictionary in the series Fundamental Dictionaries.
Lyudmila Vedenina is substantially contributing to the organizational and scientific activity. On her initiative and under her permanent guidance the Interuniversity Seminar Culture-Oriented Linguistics: Methods of Analysis, Technology of Teaching, which annually brings together leading experts from both domestic and foreign universities, has been held at MGIMO since 2003. The seminar consists of plenary meetings and workshops on such issues as: languages in the aspect of culture-oriented linguistics, linguodidactics problems, problems of translation, analysis of specific linguistic-cultural problems, etc. Each seminar is followed by the publication of the collection of works, which is a collective monograph study based on many languages. Lyudmila Vedenina is an editor of the collection.
In addition, for many years Lyudmila Vedenina has been heading the Interdepartmental Seminar on Culture-Oriented Linguistics for teachers of many foreign languages divisions that is held at MGIMO. The purpose of the seminar is to exchange experience, familiarize with the research in the field of scientific disciplines that feed linguodidactics (national psychology, sociology, linguistics, cultural studies, pedagogy), as well as provide information about scientific conferences both in our country and abroad. The scientific documentary the Story of a Seminar (screenplay by L.G. Vedenina, MGIMO, 2012, 45 min.) was shot to show the seminar`s work.
Lyudmila Vedenina`s scientific work is inextricably connected with her teaching activities. She is a virtuoso of all the teaching techniques: she teaches both junior and senior students with the use of the classical, as well as intensive techniques. She uses multimedia materials, organizes poetry readings, theatricals, educational tours. Lyudmila Vedenina thinks memorization of a foreign text, words and phrases is not the ultimate purpose of studying; she likes to say that she teaches the art of communication, introduces students to communication strategy:
- How to enter into a conversation;
- How to end a conversation;
- How not to be at a loss, to guess if something was not clear;
- What can you expect from a partner - to predict his reaction, tastes, interests;
- How to catch fancy, what should not be said and shown to the conversation partner.
Lyudmila Vedenina is against haughtiness in teaching, against the preaching tone, and she does not rebuke for mistakes: she is accurate and charming, artistic and open, patient and friendly. Her speech is eloquent, witty and reasoned. Students can reach her whenever they need, read books from her personal library, join her for lectures at the French Cultural Center or for a French theater play or watch a French movie together with her.
Linguistic and Cultural Studies of France Course, which combined the scientific and teaching directions of her long-term activity, became a special milestone in the work of Lyudmila Vedenina. MGIMO is one of the first universities that started teaching culture of foreign language countries. The course of linguistic and cultural studies of France, introduced in 1990, was based on students` questions and answers of teachers. The answers gave rise to new questions and vice versa. Questions were becoming more and more complex, required from teachers the constant search for rare information, which was not always easily accessible. An urgent need for regular classes arose.
Lyudmila Vedenina set up a working group of several teachers, developed a program and took the lead in the preparation of study materials. The course consists of lectures and seminars in French. When studying certain topics students may visit some museums along with the class sessions (the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Glinka Musical Culture Museum, the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, the Literary Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, etc.).
The teaching methodology of the course is based on the France Today material where Lyudmila Vedenina serves as editor (co-editor), author of the explanatory notes and developer of a number of themes. In addition, Lyudmila Vedenina has prepared an electronic textbook on linguistic and cultural studies of France containing a wealth of illustrative (including multimedia) material and a developed system of exercises.
Lyudmila Vedenina gives classes in a masterly, virtuoso fashion, being able to found in French life such an event or a fact that would be in tune with the problems of concern for contemporary Russian students, and then formulate them in such a way as to encourage them to express their thoughts, find the right argument, support or debate with the conversation partner. In addition to the widest erudition, it requires exceptional ingenuity, subtlety and a sense of moderation.
Lyudmila Vedenina`s achievements have received a high appraisal both in this country and in France: Lyudmila Vedenina was awarded the State Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation (2002) and the title of Knight of the French Academic Palms Order (2003). The University, where she works, highly praised the importance of research and teaching activities carried out by Lyudmila Vedenina by awarding her the title of Honorary Professor of MGIMO University of MFA of Russia.
____________
[1] Mikhail Konstantinovich Ogorodov - Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Head of French Language Division No 1 of MGIMO University of the MFA of Russia.
