A Preliminary Study Examining Parent Perceptions and Practices in Heritage Language Transmission in Texas

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1540-1551
Author(s):  
Casey L. Taliancich-Klinger ◽  
Kendra Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Parent Perceptions ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Language Transmission

Purpose The purpose of this project was to explore characteristics impacting the transmission of a heritage language from a parent to a child from the parent's perspective to better understand challenges that families may face when trying to pass on a heritage language to their children. Method In this pilot study, 14 interviews were conducted with individuals who reported they were currently raising or had raised at least 1 child to be able to speak about language transfer practices and beliefs. Participants were interviewed regarding their own language use and proficiency. Participants were asked questions pertaining to their attitudes and their children's attitudes toward their home language. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for emergent themes related to language transmission and challenges to passing down the heritage language to their child. Results Common themes that emerged related to parents passing down their heritage language included the community the families resided in and the parent's proficiency level. Conclusion It is important for educators and clinicians to understand how a parent's decision to pass down their language may be impacted by how much community support they experience and how proficient parents are in their heritage language. Implications of these results for educators and caretakers are discussed.

Voices from the Margin: Developing a Profile of Chinese Heritage Language Learners in the FL Classroom

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46
Author(s):  
Heather Weger-Guntharp
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Chinese Heritage Language

While defining a heritage language (HL) learner is problematic, it is critical for how HL issues are framed. Underrepresented in the discussion are those learners who identify the HL as key to their development of self identity while having limited exposure to the HL in the home environment. This study investigates such students in the context of first semester Chinese classes at a U.S. university and draws on theories of motivation, HL learning, and social identity. Results suggest that a learner’s heritage is an important factor in that it affects the construction of a language learner’s identity and the coconstruction of motivation, and influences attitudes towards classroom activities. The study found that the complexity of individual backgrounds problematizes the identification of HL learners based on their home-language use or place of birth. Finally, the data reveal a HL learner classroom profile consisting of at least three interwoven components (self, teacher, and peer).

Voices from the Margin: Developing a Profile of Chinese Heritage Language Learners in the FL Classroom

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46
Author(s):  
Heather Weger-Guntharp
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Chinese Heritage Language

While defining a heritage language (HL) learner is problematic, it is critical for how HL issues are framed. Underrepresented in the discussion are those learners who identify the HL as key to their development of self identity while having limited exposure to the HL in the home environment. This study investigates such students in the context of first semester Chinese classes at a U.S. university and draws on theories of motivation, HL learning, and social identity. Results suggest that a learner’s heritage is an important factor in that it affects the construction of a language learner’s identity and the coconstruction of motivation, and influences attitudes towards classroom activities. The study found that the complexity of individual backgrounds problematizes the identification of HL learners based on their home-language use or place of birth. Finally, the data reveal a HL learner classroom profile consisting of at least three interwoven components (self, teacher, and peer).

Language use and intergenerational transmission of heritage Veneto in the rural area of Santa Teresa, Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (260) ◽  
pp. 37-59
Author(s):  
Sarah Loriato
Keyword(s):  
Rural Area ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Near Future

Abstract This article examines the current sociolinguistic situation of Veneto in Santa Teresa, a small municipality located in the highlands of the state of Espirito Santo, in Southeastern Brazil. Santa Teresa was founded in 1874 by a group of about 300 Italian immigrants from Veneto-speaking towns in Northern Italy. The study is based on a survey conducted in 2016, which compares three distinct age groups of descendants of Veneto heritage residing in the rural area of Santa Teresa by examining self-rated language abilities in both Veneto and Portuguese, language use, and attitudes. The 98 informants that participated in this study belong to the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth generations of Veneto descendants. At the conclusion of this preliminary study, the results of the self-evaluations show that Veneto continues to be spoken and used at home, at work, and with neighbors and friends by respondents of all of these generations, which means that the rural community of Santa Teresa surpassed the typical three-generation shift to the majority language observed in heritage language families in the United States. However, findings also indicate that language shift towards Portuguese is taking place in Santa Teresa, and that the heritage language runs the risk of disappearing in the near future if nothing is done to stop the ongoing language shift.

scholarly journals Comprehension and production of non-canonical word orders in Mandarin-speaking child heritage speakers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuzhou Hao ◽  
Vasiliki Chondrogianni
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
English Heritage ◽  
Related Morphology

Abstract Across languages, structures with non-canonical word order have been shown to be problematic for both child and adult heritage speakers. To investigate the linguistic and child-level factors that modulate heritage speakers’ difficulties with non-canonical word orders, we examined the comprehension and production of three Mandarin non-canonical structures in 5- to 9-year-old Mandarin-English heritage children and compared them to age-matched Mandarin-speaking monolingual children and adults. Specifically, we examined how linguistic properties, such as linear word order, presence or absence of morphosyntactic cues, and surface structural overlap between languages, as well as child-level factors, such as chronological age and current home language use affect the acquisition of non-canonical structures in heritage children and their monolingual peers. Results showed that although heritage children could use morphosyntactic cues, they did not show monolingual-level sensitivity to passive-related morphology. Additionally, children produced more canonical SVO word order, which is shared between English and Mandarin, and preferred the reverse interpretations of non-canonical structures in comprehension. These responses were taken as evidence for cross-linguistic influence from the majority to the minority language. Finally, although non-canonical structures caused difficulties for child heritage speakers, their performance was modulated by structure and improved with age, over and above heritage language use.

scholarly journals Nahuatl, selected vitality indicators and scales of vitality in an Indigenous language community in Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-180
Author(s):  
Grace A. Gomashie ◽  
Roland Terborg
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Language Maintenance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Indigenous Language ◽  
Language Community ◽  
Language Endangerment ◽  
At Home ◽  
Language Transmission

Abstract Scales or measurements of vitality propose various factors to assess the degree of endangerment of a language. Using these measurements offers important insights into the maintenance of a language and identifies the areas in need of support. The current study employed seven scales to assess the vitality of Nahuatl in the language community of Puebla, Mexico. Data on the selected vitality indicators, absolute speaker population, and intergenerational language transmission were collected through questionnaires on linguistic knowledge and home language use. Results showed that five out of the seven scales characterized Nahuatl as not at an immediate risk of endangerment as it had speakers in all age groups and was spoken at home by them. However, there was need for more emphasis on transmitting Nahuatl to the younger generations who made up the majority of the non-Nahuatl speaker population and were more likely to use Spanish than Nahuatl. The approach taken by this study will be of value when assessing other communities facing language endangerment and seeking language maintenance and revitalization.

Voices from the Margin: Developing a Profile of Chinese Heritage Language Learners in the FL Classroom

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46
Author(s):  
Heather Weger-Guntharp
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Chinese Heritage Language

While defining a heritage language (HL) learner is problematic, it is critical for how HL issues are framed. Underrepresented in the discussion are those learners who identify the HL as key to their development of self identity while having limited exposure to the HL in the home environment. This study investigates such students in the context of first semester Chinese classes at a U.S. university and draws on theories of motivation, HL learning, and social identity. Results suggest that a learner’s heritage is an important factor in that it affects the construction of a language learner’s identity and the coconstruction of motivation, and influences attitudes towards classroom activities. The study found that the complexity of individual backgrounds problematizes the identification of HL learners based on their home-language use or place of birth. Finally, the data reveal a HL learner classroom profile consisting of at least three interwoven components (self, teacher, and peer).

Voices from the Margin: Developing a Profile of Chinese Heritage Language Learners in the FL Classroom

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46
Author(s):  
Heather Weger-Guntharp
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Chinese Heritage Language

While defining a heritage language (HL) learner is problematic, it is critical for how HL issues are framed. Underrepresented in the discussion are those learners who identify the HL as key to their development of self identity while having limited exposure to the HL in the home environment. This study investigates such students in the context of first semester Chinese classes at a U.S. university and draws on theories of motivation, HL learning, and social identity. Results suggest that a learner’s heritage is an important factor in that it affects the construction of a language learner’s identity and the coconstruction of motivation, and influences attitudes towards classroom activities. The study found that the complexity of individual backgrounds problematizes the identification of HL learners based on their home-language use or place of birth. Finally, the data reveal a HL learner classroom profile consisting of at least three interwoven components (self, teacher, and peer).

Voices from the Margin: Developing a Profile of Chinese Heritage Language Learners in the FL Classroom

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Weger-Guntharp
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Chinese Heritage Language

While defining a heritage language (HL) learner is problematic, it is critical for how HL issues are framed. Underrepresented in the discussion are those learners who identify the HL as key to their development of self identity while having limited exposure to the HL in the home environment. This study investigates such students in the context of first semester Chinese classes at a U.S. university and draws on theories of motivation, HL learning, and social identity. Results suggest that a learner’s heritage is an important factor in that it affects the construction of a language learner’s identity and the coconstruction of motivation, and influences attitudes towards classroom activities. The study found that the complexity of individual backgrounds problematizes the identification of HL learners based on their home-language use or place of birth. Finally, the data reveal a HL learner classroom profile consisting of at least three interwoven components (self, teacher, and peer).

scholarly journals Linguistic and cultural identity of Indonesian Americans in The United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Lie ◽  
Juliana Wijaya ◽  
Esther Kuntjara
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Community Factors ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Second Generation Immigrants ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article examines the second-generation immigrants in California and focuses on their language use and cultural identity as Indonesian-Americans. This study investigated to what extent home language use and community involvement influenced mastery of Indonesian heritage language and what factors affected the forming of cultural identity. Data were drawn from self-assessed Indonesian Oral Proficiency Questionnaire and in-depth interviews of sixteen Indonesian-Americans aged fifteen to early twenties.  Their parents were also interviewed as triangulation.  Results show that parents’ insistence in using Indonesian as home language and the youths’ investment in support community have enhanced the mastery of Indonesian heritage language.  Furthermore, exposure to the language and culture, investment, and community factors have affected the transformation of cultural identity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document