Heritage Language Literacy: A Study of US Biliterates

Abstract

This paper reports on a study involving a group of ten US-raised adults who have managed to attain relatively high levels of heritage language (HL) literacy (in Spanish, Cantonese and Japanese), defying the typical pattern of intergenerational language shift. In-depth retrospective interviews were used to explore the types of access to HL print and the HL literacy experiences of this diverse group. The participants had the greatest access to HL print in their home and in the HL community, and primarily through participating in religious worship and leisure activities. The participants also had (1) the assistance of more literate people, who acted as literacy conduits and literacy models; (2) contact with community institutions, namely religious organisations, which used and provided access to HL print and literacy experiences beyond the home; (3) the access to 'light' reading materials which helped foster an interest in recreational reading and; (4) the opportunity to act as literacy mediators for parents and family which supplied an authentic and important purpose for developing the heritage language. The implications of these findings are discussed and the role of school programmes in promoting HL literacy is considered.