Heritage Language Institute

Held June 22-26, 2002, UCLA

Data from the US Census 2000 indicates that over 26% of Californians were born outside of the US and that more than one language is spoken in 40% of California households. These figures are vitally important for understanding the trends in foreign language education in California in general and at the University of California in particular. A significant number of students enrolled in the UC system speak a language other than English at home. Many of them enroll in language classes with the goal of becoming literate and more proficient in their home language. However, a traditional foreign language class curriculum is not geared toward these students. As a result, they become frustrated and disheartened, sometimes to the extent that they stop studying the heritage language. The situation can also be frustrating for non-heritage learners if the two groups are placed together because heritage speakers can speak and understand the language even though they may not be able to read and write. Both research and experience indicate that teaching heritage learners would necessitate developing new policies, new methodologies, and new materials.

The UC Consortium Summer Institute on Heritage Languages sought to familiarize foreign language faculty with the state-of-the-art research and practices in heritage language education. It culminated in formulating the UC Guidelines on heritage education. The institute is the first such endeavor by a major university in the U.S. The Guidelines on Heritage Education are now in preparation and will be posted on this page later.

The Consortium funded up to three representatives from each UC campus. Twenty-seven UC faculty members stayed for the five days of the Institute.

The sessions on the first two days of the institute were open to the public. More than eighty people attended on each day. In addition to UC faculty, there were attendees from other California universities, such as Stanford, USC, and several Cal State campuses. There were also out-of-state participants from institutions including the University of New Mexico, Michigan State University, Princeton, Columbia, and the University of Arizona.

The following definition of a heritage speaker was used as a working definition:

"The term "heritage speaker" is used to refer to a student who is raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken, who speaks or merely understands the heritage language, and who is to some degree bilingual in English and the heritage language." (Valdés, G. (2000). Spanish for Native Speakers: AATSP Professional Development Series handbook for teachers K-16 (Vol. 1). New York, NY: Harcourt College Publishers, p. 1.)