Uses of the Aorist Instead of the Imperfect in Modern Bulgarian: A Linguodidactological Perspective
Krasimira Aleksova, Laska Laskova,
Danka Apostolova, Yana Sivilova
Sofia University
Mihaela Moskova
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Bulgaria)
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-01
Abstract. This paper explores a noteworthy phenomenon in contemporary spoken and written communication in Bulgarian from a linguodidactological perspective (Veselinov 2025), namely, the substitution of the imperfect tense with the aorist in contexts where the imperfect should be used. Taking into account the specifics of imperfect usage, as well as the verb’s aspect, person, and number, the study investigates four typical contexts in which this substitution is observed. Expounding these deviations is essential for both native and foreign/second language teaching of Bulgarian, as it allows learners to recognize, control, and successfully overcome them in their speech. The paper focuses primarily on the teaching and learning of Bulgarian as a foreign/second language.
Keywords: linguodidactology; modern Bulgarian language; imperfect; aorist; perceptual linguistics
The Role of Soft Skills Development in Foreign Language Learning: Methods and Practical Insights
Niyazova Albina
Abai Kazakh national pedagogical university, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Milena Yordanova
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-02
Abstract. This article explores the interconnected development of soft skills and foreign language learning, emphasizing the importance of communicative competence, intercultural understanding, empathy, and critical thinking. Through a comparative analysis of traditional and communicative teaching methodologies, as well as the impact of project-based and group work, the study highlights effective approaches for fostering essential soft skills alongside language proficiency. Practical insights are drawn from case studies, interviews with educators, and content analysis of language curricula and materials. The findings demonstrate the significant role of interactive and collaborative learning in enhancing students’ personal and professional competencies, ultimately preparing them for successful participation in globalized environments.
Keywords: soft skills, foreign language learning, communicative approach, project-based learning, intercultural competence, critical thinking, linguodidactology
Reading as a Digital Cultural Practice: Transformations of the Reading Experience in Social Media
Silvia Petrova
South-West University “Neofit Rilski”
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-03
Abstract. This article focuses on the transformation of reading practices in the context of digital culture, with a particular emphasis on the social networks BookTok and Bookstagram. It explores how reading communities are formed, the unique visual and linguistic ways in which literature is discussed, and emerging models of cultural mediation. The article analyses the role of literary influencers as mediators between texts, platform algorithms and reader identities. It also explores the characteristics of digital reading, such as affectivity, visualisation and social visibility, that distinguish it from the traditional view of reading as a slow, linear process. The article argues that BookTok and Bookstagram represent a significant cultural and educational resource that can be used to develop reading and media literacy, and to create a more effective dialogue with young readers.
Keywords: digital reading; social media; reading practices; literary influencers; cultural mediation; linguodidactics
Specifics of Teaching Persian to Students
Ivo Panov
Sofia University
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-04
Abstract. The article explores some of the most frequently encountered challenges in teaching Persian to university students. It considers the global status of the Persian language, its geographical distribution, and its standardized national varieties (Farsi, Dari, and Tajik). Special attention is given to linguistic features that complicate the learning process across the three dialects—at phonetic, grammatical, and lexical levels—as well as to potential strategies for addressing these difficulties. The study also touches upon specific issues related to the transcription of Persian into Bulgarian. The subject matter represents a novel contribution not only to Bulgarian Iranian studies but also to the broader field of international Persian language pedagogy.
Keywords: Persian language; Persian grammar; Dari; Farsi; Tajiki; types of national language norms of the Persian language; linguodidactology
A Tale Called “Erasmus” (Precedent Names in The Educational Space of the EU)
Yuliana Chakarova
University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-05
Abstract. The study offers an analysis of one emblematic name for the European educational discourse – Erasmus – as the title of the most famous mobility program through the lens of modern conceptual frameworks: The Theory of Precedent Phenomena (V. V. Krasnykh, I. V. Zakharenko, D. B. Gudkov), The Theory of Cultural Memory (J. Assmann), leading cognitive theories such as the Conceptual Metaphor/Metonymy Theory (G. Lakoff & M. Johnson) and Frame Theory (M. Minsky). The functioning of this precedent name in the mental space of academic youth is illustrated using a rich palette of examples. Based on empirical material, relevant frames for the described discourse are constructed. The interaction between them is analyzed, as well as the dynamics and underlying causes. Two main metonymic models are proposed, outlining the conceptualization of the examined precedent name, supported by a variety of examples of grammatical and derivational “reincarnations” of the lexeme. It is shown that the name Erasmus (without the attribute program) and all its transformations become a marker of the macroframe european program and thus – an indisputable constituent of the cultural memory of the young generation of Europeans.
Keywords: Precedent names, communicative/cultural memory, cognitive frame, European educational programs, Erasmus program, empruntology
Teaching Polish Literature Abroad and the Strategies for Foreign Language Teaching
Kristiyan Yanev
Sofia University
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-06
Abstract. The article analyzes the role of the literary text in the foreign language learning process and focuses on the Polish experience in the area of teaching abroad. Apart from the methodological questions related to the uses of literary texts in foreign language teaching, the article presents different propositions about the canon of Polish literature in its teaching abroad. Analyzing a recent coursebook on the history of Polish literature for foreigners (2023) as an example, the article argues that the literary tradition still has a strong influence on the canon, while forming a representative list of works of contemporary literature for the foreign student of Polish language and culture is much more challenging.
Keywords: Polish literature; foreign language teaching; canon; romanticism; contemporary literature; linguodidactology
Alchemical Transformations in Thomas Mann and Marguerite Yourcenar
Francheska Zemyarska
Sofia University
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-07
Abstract. The following paper scrutinizes M. Yourcenar’s interpretation of T. Mann‘s literary contributions and its profound influence on her own artistic philosophy, as articulated in her essay, “Humanism and Hermeticism in Thomas Mann” (1955). Yourcenar’s appreciation for Mann’s work is examined through five key perspectives: manic realism and myth, time complexity, the isotopic continuum between the microcosm and macrocosm, principles of hermeticism and initiation, and the concept of nigredo. Yourcenar perceives Mann’s oeuvre as a catalyst for contemplating the alchemical transformations of modern humanism, a form of humanism that has ‚passed through the abyss‘, acknowledging and surpassing the antihumanistic tendencies of the era. This philosophical exploration is further reflected in her novel, “The Abyss” (1968), underscoring the profound impact of Mann’s ideas on her literary journey. The article explores how modern humanism bridges the gap between dissolution and crystallization of the human concept.
Keywords: modern humanism; alchemical transformations; nigredo; time complexity; initiation; myth, manic realism, linguodidactology
Linguodidactologic Aspects of a German-Bulgarian Language Learning Phrasebook from the 1940s
Vesela Belcheva
University of Veliko Tarnovo “St. Cyril and St. Methodius”
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-08
Abstract. In the first half of the 20th century, the output of D. Madzharov Publishing House in Sofia was of great importance for the development of linguodidactology in Bulgaria. This publishing house was able to successfully publish educational and teaching-aid literature that was of great use for national foreign language teaching. Part of this literature was the German-Bulgarian language learning phrasebook “A Bulgarian in Germany” by Nora Eftimova, whose linguodidactologic aim was to teach basic skills of expression in German. The phrasebook sought to arouse interest in the German language among the Bulgarians of the time and to create conditions for a more successful introduction not only to foreign languages, but also to foreign cultures in Bulgaria. Although in a small volume of only 48 pages, the phrasebook became popular among Bulgarian learners due to the highly simplified presentation of linguistic phenomena in line with the tenets of Bulgarian linguodidactology of the time.
Keywords: linguodidactology in Bulgaria; German phrasebook; 19th – 20th century; language learning and teaching-aid literature; empruntology
Quo Vadis, Ukrainian Studies?
Alina Strzempa
University of Regensburg
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-09
Am 20. und 21.03.2025 fand an der Universität Wien ein Workshop unter dem Titel „Quo Vadis, Ukrainian Studies?“ statt. Diese Veranstaltung war Teil einer Reihe von wissenschaftlichen Arbeitstreffen und Fachtagungen, die im Rahmen eines mehrjährigen ukrainistischen Verbundprojekts verortet sind…
Contemporary Challenges Ahead of Education
Vesselinov D. and P. Todorov (compilers) (2025) Challenges ahead of education in a period of postpandemic recovery. Fourteenth international autumn scientific and educational forum, Sofia: UI “St. Kliment Ohridski”
Raya Zhivkova-Krupeva
Sofia University
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-10
In 2025 the compilation Challenges ahead of education in a period of postpandemic recovery was published by UI “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The compilation contains articles based on presentations from the Fourteenth international autumn scientific and educational forum. Let us examine some of the noteworthy ones...
Bukovina – a Comprehensive Literary Portrait
Andrei Corbea-Hoişie, Steffen Höhne, Oxana Matiychuk, and Markus Winkler (eds.), Handbuch der Literaturen aus Czernowitz und der Bukowina.
Berlin: J.B. Metzler, 2023, 633 pp., ISBN 978-3-476-05972-7; 978-3-476-05973-4 (eBook)
Antony Hoyte-West
Independent scholar, United Kingdom
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-11
Published in December 2023, the German-language volume Handbuch der Literaturen aus Czernowitz und der Bukowina [Handbook of Literatures from Czernowitz and Bukovina] was edited under the stewardship of Andrei Corbea-Hoişie, Steffen Höhne, Oxana Matiychuk, and Markus Winkler, leading literary studies experts from Romania, Germany, and Ukraine…
On causality and semantics in the interaction between Italian and Bulgarian
Dimitar Vesselinov
Sofia University
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2025-06-12
Desislava Davidova, Prichinnost i semantika. Sofia: Izdatelstvo na Nov balgarski universitet. ISBN 978-619-233-344-7 (print), 978-619-233-345-4 (e-book)
Desislava Davidova's monograph studies the semantics of causality. This problem is a continuation of Davidova's professional interests, who has been studying the various aspects of causality for years now...
