Abstract
Recently, great interest has emerged in identifying the learning needs of heritage language (HL) learners. In comparing HL and second language (L2) learners, research suggests that L2 learners outperform HL learners when examining writing abilities (Montrul, 2010; Potowski, 2013). However, complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) have been overlooked when examining HL learners’ writing proficiency, and it could provide a better picture of their writing skills in a spontaneous untimed assignment. To address this issue, 28 L2 learners and 18 HL learners completed an untimed written production task on a non-academic subject and their written proficiency was assessed through CAF measures (Norris & Ortega, 2009). Results showed HL learners significantly outperformed L2 learners on two complexity measures: accuracy and fluency. A possible explanation for these findings could be the type of task used (more spontaneous, less-controlled), which taps into a more implicit type of knowledge, favoring HL learners (Bowles, 2011).
Highlights
There has been great interest in the second language acquisition (SLA) literature in identifying the differences between heritage language (HL) learners and second language (L2) learners
He stated that similarities among HL and L2 learners are related to language use
In order to fill these gaps found in the literature, the following research questions were formulated: 1) Do advanced HL and L2 learners differ in writing proficiency as measured by complexity when exposed to an untimed semi-guided writing task?
Summary
There has been great interest in the second language acquisition (SLA) literature in identifying the differences between heritage language (HL) learners and second language (L2) learners. Lynch’s (2008) findings suggested that Spanish HL learners are not very different in their grammatical and lexical performances with respect to advanced L2 learners’ performances, despite the fact that HL learners are exposed to the (heritage) language from birth. He stated that similarities among HL and L2 learners are related to language use (how much they use it at home, time spent listening to tv or radio in Spanish, language usage in personal relationships, at work, etc.). A more detailed review of studies that have examined both HL learners’ writing and HL vs. L2 learners’ writing skills is offered, identifying the areas in need of further research, which will lead to the research questions that motivate the present study
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