This project was inspired by an experience during one of my Russian language courses.  After watching a short video that demonstrated aspects of East European service culture, students asked if the dialogue they had heard was actually in Russian. Although the accent was intentionally exaggerated for comic effect, the dialog was an example of Russian spoken in Odesa, Ukraine, that the students were unable to readily recognize as Russian.  Given that students may desire to speak Russian in a wide variety of regional contexts, a reference resource that accurately demonstrates regional variations is an invaluable tool for training in listening comprehension and speaking practices.  Upon investigation, I found that while there are numerous resources that feature samples of spoken English—ranging from scholarly collections to an actor-training accent catalogue—similar open-source resources for Russian language training are practically non-existent.

Exposure to different accents enhances the authenticity of language instruction. The Global Russian Language repository represents an innovative teaching tool for teacher training and pedagogy and a resource for language learners.  Since most textbooks use “standard” Russian produced only by native speakers, they may inadvertently promote the idea that only some accents are acceptable, therefore fortifying the idea of Russian as an imperial lingua franca, rather than reflecting the variety and richness of the many places and cultures of the Russian-speaking world. 

The Global Russian Language project is supported by the Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute and by the IUB Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures.