Word-formation transparency and morphemic richness as parameters of vocabulary complexity in Russian as a foreign language tasks (Chinese sample)

the article examines the influence of word-formation transparency and morphemic density on the complexity of vocabulary in Russian as a foreign language tasks using a Chinese sample. The material was tasks of levels A2-B2 from educational courses and tests; for each unit, the following indicators were calculated: degree of transparency (on a 0-2 scale), morphemic density (number of morphemes per token), derivational depth, frequency, and length. Expert annotation, regression modeling, and error analysis were used. The results show that a decrease in transparency and an increase in morphemic density statistically increase the probability of an incorrect answer and increase the completion time; abstract suffixes -ost', -enie (-ness), and prefixal patterns with polysemy (za-, po-, pere-) are particularly difficult for Chinese students. In contrast, complex words with motivating supports ("samo-", "vodo-") and transparent word-formation nests facilitate acquisition. A complexity prediction scale and methodological solutions are proposed: preliminary formation of morpheme families, visualization of word structure, and adaptive dosing of affixes. The findings are useful for constructing digital and traditional assignments in Russian as a foreign language, as well as for setting up automatic assessment of the lexical difficulty of materials. Indicators for adaptive learning systems in courses are proposed.

word-formation transparency, morphemic richness, lexical complexity, derivational depth, Russian as a foreign language (Chinese sample)