Developing descriptors of phonological competence for native Russian speakers learning Italian at levels A1-B1

The research aims to create descriptors that describe the mastery of Italian pronunciation and perception skills of segmental units by Russian-speaking students learning Italian at levels A1-B1. The article examines international criteria for assessing Italian pronunciation (based on CILS, CELI, and PLIDA exams) and notes that they do not take into account the influence of the learners’ native language on the acquisition of Italian phonological competence. Meanwhile, the degree of influence of the native language on foreign language pronunciation is the most important factor determining the success of phonological competence acquisition. Thus, the scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that, for the first time, based on a specially designed phonetic test that takes into account the characteristics of Russian-Italian interference, descriptors are derived for determining phonological competence development at levels A1-B1. As a result of the research, the descriptors show which skills of pronunciation and perception of Italian sounds progressively improve in the selected range, and which remain unchanged (for example, the pronunciation of the sound /ʎ/) and, apparently, develop later.