Studying the Category of Femininity by Iranian Students

Russian derivative nouns with the meaning of a female person constitute a modification word-forming category of femininity and represent secondary nominations structurally and semantically related to the names of males. In the formation of nouns with the value of femininity, specific derivational suffixes are used, and the derivation process is often accompanied by morphological transformations of the producing basis. Mastering derivatives with the meaning of female persons presents considerable complexity for students from Iran, since the Persian language does not have a gender category and in most cases the same lexemes are used for the nomination of persons of both sexes. The article substantiates the necessity of studying nouns with the meaning of a female person by Iranian students mastering the Russian language; the structural and semantic parameters of the suffixal derivatives of nouns that form the word-formative category of femininity are given; The repertoire of derivational means serving this category is called; morphological phenomena accompanying the derivation process are considered, as well as exercises on modeling and decoding of such derivatives that contribute to the formation of the word-forming competence of students are offered.