Heritage Language Learners
Overview
Heritage learners are "individuals raised in homes where a language other than English is spoken and who are to some degree bilingual in English and the heritage language" (Valdés, 2000c, p. 375). Heritage language learners should not be confused with "learners with a heritage motivation" (Van Deusen-Scholl, 1998), for example, a fourth generation Chinese-American who lives in an all-English environment and is interested in learning about his/her ancestral heritage.
Language input for the typical heritage language learner comes from different sources than for the typical foreign language learner.
Heritage language learner |
Foreign language learner |
- Home |
- Foreign language class |
- Community |
- Study Abroad |
- Country of target language |
- Contact with community |
- Foreign language class |
For an in depth discussion of the students who can be classified as heritage language learners, see Carreira (2004) "Seeking Explanatory Adequacy: A Dual Approach to Understanding the Term ‘Heritage Language Learner’" in the Heritage Language Journal.
Published: Tuesday, January 09, 2007
