Abstract:
The given article reviews researches surrounding authentic audio- and visual materials and «authenticity»
concept in foreign language learning. It is noted that the formulation of the universal definition of the «authenticity
» concept is complicated by the fact that it includes not only certain conditions, but also different
types of authenticity. The authors concluded that there is no global, generalized definition of authenticity. It is
emphasized that authenticity is a combination of a number of conditions, different types of authenticity, and
the degree of the presence of one or another type can be different depending on the situation. The article analyzes
each of the elements of the lesson - authentic material, study assignments, the situation at the lesson,
learning interaction - as having its own criteria, which makes it possible to distinguish authentic from nonauthentic.
It is proposed to ensure a harmonious combination of all the parameters of authenticity, since in
each specific communicative situation, the availability of one or another type of authenticity can vary. The
authors claim that methodical adaptation of the authentic material for the educational purposes is acceptable,
and in some cases even desirable, if it does not violate its authenticity.
