Nearly 200 Russian cities and towns will take part in the annual ‘Total Dictation’ campaign on April 6. Some 30,000 volunteers are going to test their spelling and punctuation skills, Voice of Russia reports. The idea of ‘total dictation’ comes from the Novosibirsk State University in Siberia. First the campaign was held there in 2004, attracting just 150 volunteers. The event was a success and attracted more participants in subsequent years. In 2011 the ‘Total Dictation’ spread to other cities to turn into a truly international event quite soon. A source in the ‘Total Dictation’ headquarters in Novosibirsk says that this year the campaign attracts volunteers all over the globe.
The project is about to debut in Australia. “One of our teachers is a graduate from the Novosibirsk University, and she suggested joining the campaign,” explains Irina Rayan, head master at a Sunday school in Sydney. “We have a few more girls from Siberia, and they will organize the dictation. Our fourteen teachers – all graduates of Russian universities- will assist and then check the works. What is peculiar about our ‘Total Dictation’ is that it will be read by Alexander Diamanti, the Moscow circus star clown. He helps us with leisure activities at school, so we expect the dictation to be a really exciting experience.”
In previous years the texts for dictations were borrowed from classical literature, for example from works by Leo Tolstoy or Nikolay Gogol. But then it was decided to use texts by contemporary writers like Boris Strugatsky and Dmitry Bykov. This year the text of the dictation was composed by prominent Russian-Israeli writer Dina Rubina. The organizers of the campaign believe that her Israeli citizenship would boost interest in Russian language and culture abroad.
Traditionally, the author dictates his or her composition at the Novosibirsk University, while at other venues participating in the campaign the test is read by teachers, TV hosts, actors or musicians. Germany is hosting the ‘Total Dictation’ for the second time. In 2013 the campaign reaches out to Dresden, Bochum and Leipzig.
“The age of the participants is especially interesting. Last year we saw 10-year-old children, as well as people over 60,” said Olga Vladimirova, the head of the Russian Language Centre in Berlin. “Those who studied in Russia and now reside in Germany will find the opportunity to test their native language skills especially attractive. Besides, bilingual children – if they decide to write the dictation- will have a first-hand experience of how difficult the Russian language is and will be encouraged to study harder.”
This year the campaign is taking place even in the Antarctic, where three staff employees of polar station Progress are going to test their grammar through the Internet: online broadcast of the ‘Total Dictation’ campaign will be available from Moscow, Irkutsk and Novosibirsk.
Russkiy Mir Foundation Information Service
