PROLEGOMENA TO THE THEORY OF METHODS OF TEACHING NON-NATIVE LANGUAGE

The article presents the results of studying prolegomena of the theory of non-native language teaching methods.The relevance of this study is conditioned by the needs of development of the theory of non-native language teaching.The purpose of this article is to clarify the content of basic concepts of the theory of non-native language teaching methods - the concepts “methodological theory”, “non-native language”, “teaching method”, to define requirements for the methodological theories, to establish relations between the concept “non-native language” and related concepts, to analyze existing definitions of the term “method of teaching”.The materials of the study were scientific works, in which the basic concepts of this theory are used. The main method of the research was terminological-conceptual analysis.This study defined the requirements for methodological theories and for the theory of non-native language teaching methods in particular. Among them are general requirements for the theories (systemic character; generalized character, validity and reliability of its statements; depth, completeness, integrity, explanatory and predictive capacity; corresponding to the scientific style norms and logic of its presentation), specific pedagogical requirements (possibility of use its statements in the practice of teaching) and methodological requirements (reliance on general pedagogical statements; standing in the area of modern Russian theory of non-native language teaching).Analysis of the term “non-native language” in relation to the theory of teaching methods allowed to conclude that in the area of this theory is better to use it in most general, generic sense. Analysis of definitions of the concept “teaching method” showed that its better definition is a definition as the set of principles and techniques of teaching.