Today the issue of increase in the level of speech culture of Russian speakers gains in topicality. Speech culture represents part of the general human culture and plays an important role in the professional establishment of a person, in implementation of his communicative goals. Increase in the level of speech culture of bachelors is one of the main tasks of studying the Russian language at the university. As is known, well-bred speech, appropriate use of linguistic means during the process of communication is one of indicators of the general human culture, his intelligence. The efficiency of the communication process and success of professional communication depend on how accurately and properly according to the specific speech situation a future pedagogue can express his thoughts and ideas.

There are a few definitions of the concept ‘speech culture’, but in our point of view the most accurate and comprehensive one is the definition suggested by the professor А.N. Ksenofontova, according to which we understand speech culture as ‘correctness of speech, i.e., compliance with the literature norms perceived by the speaker and writer as an ‘ideal’ or commonly accepted and traditionally protected ritual, image as well as speech excellence – i. e., not only adherence to the norms of the literary language but also the ability to select from the relevant options the most accurate in sense relation, stylistically and contextually appropriate, expressive, etc. one’ [7, p. 67].

Speech culture is based on standardized speech by which we mean speech compliance with the requirements set to the language within the specific language community during the particular historical period, observance of the rules of pronunciation, stress, language use in terms of lexical meaning, forming, making of syntactic constructions.

Observations on the speech of high school students allow speaking of recession of their speech culture level. This is evidenced by difficulties experienced by perception and processing of text information, as a rule, of scientific content; rather frequently it is referred to insufficient formedness of the skills of organizing speech communication in a specific situation, lack of knowledge of etiquette formulas exclusive of the most frequently used ones; poor mastering of literary norms; wide use of jargonisms. All of this is yet more proof that it is necessary to perform targeted work aimed at formation and improvement of the speech culture in university students.

Various aspects relating to the procedure of formation of the speech culture in higher school students are presented in the studies of outstanding linguists and methodology experts such as L.А. Vvedenskaya, V.V. Vinogradov, B.N. Golovin, I.B. Golub, А.I. Dunev,  D.E. Rosenthal, Е.V. Sintsov, Е.N. Shiryaev et al. [2, 4, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11].

The work on development of the speech culture is multi-dimensional; it has to be continuous and targeted. It makes sense to hold for the students’ audience the round tables on the speech culture issues, conduct trainings aimed at mastering the norms of the literary Russian language, simulation of speech situations. Thus, for example, the round table ‘Is it popular to speak properly’ was held among the bachelors of the course Primary education and foreign language of the Belgorod National Research University.

The agenda included in the issues related to the problems of functioning of the Russian language in the modern Russian society. As the result of reasoning the students arrived at the conclusion that it is popular to speak properly. They’d love to achieve excellence in mastering the literary language as it is a necessary tool, the key to achievement of both life and professional success by a personality. The participants of the round table also noted that the current linguistic situation in Russia is characterized by increase in the number of borrowings, liberalization of norms of the literary Russian language, use of swearwords. All of this allows speaking of recession of the speech culture level in the population.

In the course the work the bachelors were proposed the tasks execution of which enabled identifying the status of the linguistic passport of the discussion participants. What can be positively estimated is that the first-year students adequately master the language norms, skills of conducting a business conversation, public speaking. As noted by the bachelors themselves, work on the speech correctness is not stopped at this stage. Study of the Russian language at the university shall be aimed at further linguistic development of a person, improvement of skills ensuring fluency in the literary Russian language in different communicative situations.

While reasoning of the actions that could promote to increase in the level of speech culture of Russian speakers, the round table participants stated the following suggestions: it is necessary to conduct the targeted language policy; by employment the requirements shall be applied to the candidates that represent the level of his proficiency in the native language.

The issues of improvement of the speech culture are related to individual potencies of a person. Each of us may decide how to speak, which linguistic means to use, everyone is granted the freedom of choice. However, in this case freedom is associated with the liability for the language future, for cultural heritage of the country as well as with liability before the younger generation as very soon the today’s students will come to school as teachers and will not only deal with the linguistic development of junior pupils but also set the example for them. The task of increasing the speech culture of the language speakers is creation of the optimal conditions in order to enable the free and responsible choice.

One of the interesting and efficient methods of increasing the level of speech culture in future pedagogues is simulation of speech situations as students face the task of solving their communicative intensions within the specified communicative situation. In order to do that they need to take into account the stylistic orientation of the conversation, select the necessary etiquette formulas, make up the statement and pronounce it.

One of the main tasks of teaching the Russian language consists in forming a person featuring language, linguistic and communicative competences. In our opinion, simulation representing a significant characteristic of the modern style of thinking plays an important role in this process.

The modern approach to the issues of the speech development of students of higher educational institutions suggests formation in them of sustainable and conscious fundamentals of the speech behavior. It is needed to foresee such situations in the educational process that determine the speech motivation, set the future teacher before the necessity of speech acts, and arouse in him the interest and striving to share his vision of the issue, suggest a solution.

Today the term ‘communicative situation’ is being considered by representatives of different sciences: linguists, psychologists, sociologists, pedagogues, methodology experts; however, at the current stage there is still no shared vision of the definition of the concepts ‘situation’ and ‘speech situation’.

Е.I. Passov defines a speech situation as a ‘universal form of functioning of the communication process that exists as an integrated system of social-status, role, pragmatic and moral relations between the communication parties that is reflected in their consciousness and arising on the basis of interaction of situational positions of communicators’ [8, p. 83]. As it seems to us, such understanding of a speech situation allows simulating them during the educational process by creating conditions that are adequate to the real-world ones.

As rightly noted by О.М. Kazartseva, a ‘speech act is possible only provided that a speech situation, a situation of communication has been established or created intentionally. Speech situations may be natural, i. e., established during the process of communication between people, or artificial, i.e., created for the purposes of education and speech development. The task of a pedagogue is to create during lessons such speech situations that would feature higher developmental potential and would generate in the students the motive of speaking’ [6, p. 137].

In the modern methods of teaching the Russian language at university the method of simulation of a speech act plays on important role along with the traditional teaching methods. It is implemented in the contextual exercises that are based on the dependence of the content and speech design of statement on the conditionally specified speech situation.

As a rule, use of models is more peculiar to тexact sciences but during the speech culture classes aimed at formation of a linguistic identity simulation may be used for production of the own utterance.

Any model of a speech situation incorporates the following components: communication setting (environment) (official, unofficial); addressee (number of listeners; role (thematic) relations, communication relations); purpose of conversation (communication, reporting, impact). Speech acts of people acting as some or other roles are stereotypic. Thus, by offering a student role to students we thereby offer a certain specific program of speech acts. Speech situations may be either standard or non-standard. The standard ones are characterized by repeating elements for implementation of which stereotypic language material is used. Standard speech situations contain much more material and standard language models that are used in the ready prepared form.

The requirements to statement are the following: small volume, clear and concise nature of narration, accuracy and stylistic appropriateness of the language use, use of etiquette formulas.

Thus, students may be proposed to prepare official-etiquette speaking on the following topics: ‘Personal narrative’, ‘Meeting the delegation of foreign students at the airport’, ‘Organization of a small excursion of the university and department’, ‘Introducing a visitor to a group of students’, ‘Congratulating a colleague on the award for professional accomplishments’, ‘Congratulating first-graders and their parents on the Knowledge Day’, etc. Speech situations most closely resemble the real-world conditions the students appear at during studying at a university or will experience in the future professional activity. Guidance on the speaking etiquette by N. I. Formanovskaya is used as the methodological support; it contains the variety of different etiquette clichés for diverse communicative situations.

For example, the ability to tell about self, present oneself having emphasized the own strengths and weakness is relevant to the future professional activity. This may be required in case of acquaintance, moving to a new group or team, entering an organization, employment.

Such personal narrative is aimed at forming a favorable impression of a person in the conversation partners. An approximate narrative pattern may consist of the following clichés to be supplemented: My name is…; I am currently…; the person that inspires me … (inspired)…; Events inspiring me …; this is what I may be proud of …; our family heirloom is…; I like …. best of all…; I don’t like…; I’d refer … to my strengths …; I take … as my weakness…; My professional motto is…; This is what I am striving for…; I build relationships with people …; I am expecting from the today’s meeting ….

In the course of execution of such tasks it is important that the bachelors form the ability to use speech stereotypes that are typical to situations of everyday communication. During speaking before the audience it is necessary to keep observing the norms of the literary Russian language.

A representative of any profession, especially teacher of a primary school the speech behavior of which is the example for his pupils shall remember of the liability that he bears as the language speaker. It is crucial to constantly improve the own communication skills; carefully select the linguistic means to be used. Nowadays those people are demanded who may arrange their speech behavior according to the rules of the literary Russian language and professional requirements. The teacher’s profession is oriented towards mastery of the native language, towards continuous and targeted improvement of the speech culture.