scholarly journals Practical and Theoretical Issues in the Study of Heritage Language Acquisition

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-332
Author(s):  
William O'Grady ◽  
On-Soon Lee ◽  
Jin-Hwa Lee
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Qualitative Difference ◽  
Heritage Language Learning ◽  
Heritage Language Acquisition ◽  
Object Marking ◽  
The Many ◽  
Promising Source

A promising source of insights into heritage language learning comes from the broader study of the role of input in language acquisition. We concentrate here on the possibility that qualitative differences in the proficiency of heritage and monolingual language learners can be traced to a qualitative difference in the input available to each group. By examining a series of representative phenomena (case, differential object marking, and disjunction), we illustrate how shortfalls in experience can shed light on the many instances of partial acquisition and of attrition that are reported in the literature on heritage language learning.

Current Issues in Heritage Language Acquisition

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 3-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvina Montrul
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Heritage Language Acquisition

An increasing trend in many postsecondary foreign language classes in North America is the presence of heritage language learners. Heritage language learners are speakers of ethnolinguistically minority languages who were exposed to the language in the family since childhood and as adults wish to learn, relearn, or improve their current level of linguistic proficiency in their family language. This article discusses the development of the linguistic and grammatical knowledge of heritage language speakers from childhood to adulthood and the conditions under which language learning does or does not occur. Placing heritage language acquisition within current and viable cognitive and linguistic theories of acquisition, I discuss what most recent basic research has so far uncovered about heritage speakers of different languages and their language learning process. I conclude with directions for future research.

Framework for CLIL materials for Russian heritage language learners

2021 ◽  
Vol X (2) ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Anna Savinykh ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Materials Design ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Learners ◽  
Crucial Issue ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Heritage Language Learning

The increasing number of immigrants made heritage language learning a crucial issue of 21-st century education. The neediness for an effective educational approach in this field leaded to CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning). CLIL materials are high-contextualized by age, skills, language, subject content, etc. So, teachers ought to become materials designers to provide their learners with an effective tool of learning. Usually, teachers did not specifically train for materials design. Thus, easy-to-use framework for materials is essential to provide high-quality materials. This article provides a framework for CLIL materials design for Russian heritage language learners. The framework is based on the main materials design principles, heritage learners` pedagogical needs, and CLIL-specific materials design principles. It is written in the easy-to-use form of a checklist. The checklist has seven sections and 32 questions. The framework may be used in different contexts of teachers from different countries who use CLIL to teach the Russian heritage language.

Overhearing a Language During Childhood

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Kit-fong Au ◽  
Leah M. Knightly ◽  
Sun-Ah Jun ◽  
Janet S. Oh
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Heritage Language Acquisition

Despite its significance for understanding of language acquisition, the role of childhood language experience has been examined only in linguistic deprivation studies focusing on what cannot be learned readily beyond childhood. This study focused instead on long-term effects of what can be learned best during childhood. Our findings revealed that adults learning a language speak with a more nativelike accent if they overheard the language regularly during childhood than if they did not. These findings have important implications for understanding of language-learning mechanisms and heritage-language acquisition.

AN EMERGENTIST PERSPECTIVE ON HERITAGE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
William O’Grady ◽  
Hye-Young Kwak ◽  
On-Soon Lee ◽  
Miseon Lee
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language Acquisition ◽  
The Way

It is widely recognized that the processor has a key role to play in creating and strengthening the mapping between form and meaning that is integral to language use. Adopting an emergentist approach to heritage language acquisition, the current study considers the extent to which the operation of the processor can contribute to an account of what is acquired, what is subsequently retained or lost, and what is never acquired in the first place. These questions are explored from two perspectives. First, morphosyntactic phenomena for which there is apparently substantial input are considered, with a focus on the relevance of salience, frequency, and transparency to the establishment of form-meaning mappings. Second, a phenomenon for which there appears to be relatively little input (i.e., scope) is examined with a view to understanding its fate in heritage language acquisition. In both cases, the emergentist perspective appears to offer promising insights into why heritage language learners succeed—and fail—in the way that they do.

scholarly journals Rethink about Heritage Language Learning: A Case Study of Children’s Mandarin Chinese learning at a Community Language School in Ontario, Canada

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Du
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Literacy Learning ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Knowledge Mobilization ◽  
Heritage Language Learning ◽  
Children's Literacy ◽  
And Migration

On-going knowledge mobilization and migration take place on a daily basis in the globalized world. Canada is a multilingual and multicultural country with a large number of visitors and immigrants. One in five Canadian speaks a foreign language other than English and French (Postmedia News, 2012). This case study examined six-year-old Chinese children’s heritage language learning in a community school from multiliteracies perspective using observations, interviews, and artefacts to understand children’s literacy learning. The findings indicated that Chinese children’s literacy learning was not in the traditional repetitive way but involved multimodal communication at school. Useful implications are made for heritage language educators regarding ways to support meaningful heritage language teaching and learning.  

The Relationship between Second and Heritage Language Acquisition: Notes on Research and Theory Building

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Heritage Language Acquisition ◽  
Educational Issues ◽  
The Relationship

This article presents questions and areas of inquiry that should be pursued in Heritage Language Acquisition based on what has been done in Second Language Acquisition. Linguistic, social and educational issues are highlighted, and important parallels are made between the two fields.

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