THE PLACE AND FUNCTION OF SONGS IN THE TEACHING OF SERBIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: THE LECTURER'S POINT OF VIEW

The paper analyzes the function of the song as a didactic material in the teaching of Serbian as a foreign language. The aim is to create a clearer picture of its place in teaching practice, as well as the criteria applied during its selection. We used the descriptive method and the method of theoretical analysis with the technique of content analysis and surveying. The research material was divided into two parts and consisted of: 1. textbooks used in the centers for studying Serbian as a foreign language at the Faculty of Philology and Arts in Kragujevac and at the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, and 2. answers from the Serbian as a foreign language lecturer gathered in the Facebook group Serbian language for foreigners: group for lecturers. The research showed that songs as didactic material are used in textbooks for learning Serbian as a foreign language at higher levels, while in their own teaching practice, the majority of surveyed teachers recognize them as functional teaching aids used for: increasing the lexical fund, developing listening skills, familiarizing with the culture and tradition of the Serbian people, the adoption of new grammatical content, the neutralization of fear/jitters and the increase of motivation for learning the Serbian language, the adoption of prosodic elements of speech, the development of writing skills, filling the time in the absence of teaching materials, determining the previously studied material and the realization of interactive homework. Although they are guided by a larger number of criteria when selecting and choosing a song, the results of the research showed that lecturers give priority to the criterion of content suitability of the song compared to the criterion of the song belonging to the appropriate genre.