Heritage Language Maintenance Research Articles

Parents’ Attitudes Toward Heritage Language Maintenance for Their Children and Their Efforts to Help Their Children Maintain the Heritage Language: A Case Study of Korean-Canadian Immigrants

In this study we explore Korean immigrant parents’ attitudes toward heritage language maintenance for their children and their efforts to help their children maintain Korean as their heritage language in Montreal. Some implications for mainstream school policies and classroom practices are touched on briefly. Data were collected from nine Korean immigrant parents who had a child (or children) between the ages of 6–18 in 2005, using a questionnaire and interviews. The interviews asked about Korean immigrant parents’ attitudes toward heritage language and cultural identity maintenance for their children and attitudes toward the Korean language, the Korean community, and the Korean churches; four items designed to obtain information about parents’ efforts to help their children maintain the heritage language both at home and outside of the home were also included. The findings suggest that Korean immigrant parents are very positive toward their children’s heritage language maintenance. Korean parents believe that their children’s high level of proficiency in the Korean language would help their children keep their cultural identity as Koreans, ensure them better future economic opportunities, and give them more chances to communicate with their grandparents efficiently.

Teacher education

07–460Dogancay-Aktuna, Seran (Southern Illinois U, USA), Expanding the socio-cultural knowledge base of TESOL teacher education. Language, Culture and Curriculum (Multilingual Matters) 19.3 (2006), 278–295.07–461Garrison, Leslie (San Diego State U, USA), Teacher attrition and retention along the Mexican border. Bilingual Research Journal (National Association for Bilingual Education) 30.2 (2006), 365–384.07–462Harrison, Jennifer (U Leicester, UK), An examination of the language and interpretations of ‘Standard one’ for initial teacher training in England: ‘Professional values and practice’ – outcomes or opportunities?European Journal of Teacher Education (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) 29.4 (2006), 431–454.07–463Love, Kristina (U Melbourne, Australia) & Merle Isles, ‘Welcome to the online discussion group’: A diagnostic framework for teachers.Australian Journal of Language and Literacy (Australian Literacy Educators' Association) 29.3 (2006), 210–224.07–464Márquez-López, Teresa I. (U California, USA), Dual-language student teachers' classroom-entry issues: Stages toward gaining acceptance. Bilingual Research Journal (National Association for Bilingual Education) 30.2 (2006), 499–520.07–465Rankin, Jamie (Princeton U, USA; jrankin@princeton.edu) & Florian Becker, Does reading the research make a difference? A case study of teacher growth in FL German. The Modern Language Journal (Blackwell) 90.3 (2006), 353–372.07–466Santoro, Ninetta (Deakin U, Australia), ‘Outsiders’ and ‘others’: ‘Different’ teachers teaching in culturally diverse classrooms. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice (Taylor & Francis) 13.1 (2007), 81–97.07–467Sook Lee, Jin & Eva Oxelson (U California, Santa Barbara, USA), ‘It's not my job’: K–12 teacher attitudes toward students' heritage language maintenance. Bilingual Research Journal (National Association for Bilingual Education) 30.2 (2006), 453–477.07–468Tudor, Ian (U Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium), Teacher training and ‘quality’ in higher education language teaching: Strategies and options. European Journal of Teacher Education (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) 29.4 (2006), 519–532.

Learning Modern Greek: A Comparison of Development and Identification Patterns Among Heritage and Foreign Language Learners

Although second language (L2) research has explored connections between sociopsychological variables and L2 socialization processes, relatively few investigations have compared heritage language (HL) learners to traditional foreign language (FL) learners in the North American context. This descriptive study compares the learning and acculturation patterns of 26 first- and second-generation Greek American learners of Modern Greek and 16 non-Greek American learners. Oral performance measures and ethnographic interviews involving 10 participants reveal that FL participants attributed their L2 proficiency to sophisticated metalinguistic knowledge and social strategies. In contrast, Greek American participants cited prior language instruction, the use of Greek as a home language, and—significantly—their ethnicity, as the most meaningful contributors to their linguistic success. Analyses highlight striking distinctions between the cognitive strategies, affiliation patterns, and identity construction patterns of FL and HL learners, suggesting implications for providing instruction that is appropriate for both FL instruction and HL maintenance.

Multilingualism in Post‐9/11 U.S. Schools: Implications for Engaging Empire

In this article we draw on our family histories of language loss to stimulate public discussion of the consequences of linguistic attrition for public school students in the United States. Our concerns for multilingualism, antiracism, and peace—and the salient connections among these three—are rooted in our lived experiences. Through an exploration of our family histories, we examine the ways in which empire and language identity can interact to shape decisions made by individual speakers of minority languages. We argue that multilingualism is a valuable resource for countering xenophobia, and that the teaching of foreign and world languages adds an important dimension to engaging empire, promoting peace and solidarity, and ultimately redefining what is legitimately “American.” We call attention to the potential power of well‐designed educational policies to support heritage language maintenance, to promote language rights, and to respond to dangers posed by the disproportionate power accorded to English.

“It's Not My Job”: K–12 Teacher Attitudes Toward Students' Heritage Language Maintenance

This paper examines teachers' attitudes towards their students' heritage language maintenance and their engagement in classroom practices that may or may not affirm the value of maintaining and developing heritage languages among students. Through surveys and interviews with K–12 teachers in California public schools, the data show that the nature of teacher training and personal experience with languages other than English significantly affect teacher attitudes toward heritage language maintenance and bilingualism. Teachers who did not receive training as language educators expressed negative or indifferent attitudes toward heritage language maintenance and did not see a role for themselves and schools in heritage language maintenance efforts. This study highlights the need for all educators to better understand the critical role and functions of heritage languages in the personal, academic, and social trajectories of linguistic minority students.

Reading & writing

Reading & writing

Community Contexts for Literacy Development of Latina/o Children

Anthropology & Education QuarterlyVolume 37, Issue 1 p. 42-61 Community Contexts for Literacy Development of Latina/o Children Leslie Reese, Leslie ReeseSearch for more papers by this authorClaude Goldenberg, Claude GoldenbergSearch for more papers by this author Leslie Reese, Leslie ReeseSearch for more papers by this authorClaude Goldenberg, Claude GoldenbergSearch for more papers by this author First published: 08 January 2008 https://doi.org/10.1525/aeq.2006.37.1.42Citations: 10AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume37, Issue1March 2006Pages 42-61 RelatedInformation

Heritage Languages and Community Identity Building: The Case of a Language of Lesser Status

Diasporic communities formed as a result of recent migration movements face particular issues and challenges in supporting the intergenerational transmission of their heritage language through language maintenance and heritage language education (HLE) initiatives, especially when the language involved is not one that has high visibility and status in the surrounding society. This paper reports on a case study of ongoing action-oriented research to raise awareness and use of the heritage language within the second and third generations of such a community, Maltese-background people in Melbourne, Australia. The community is well established with the ageing first generation having primarily migrated in 1950s and 1960s. Within the community poorer than average educational outcomes for the second generation led to a programme of research and action to enhance ethnic identification and involvement with the heritage language and culture. Questionnaires, interviews and focus groups were conducted to investigate attitudes to and use of Maltese within the community. These data have formed the basis for other ongoing initiatives to strengthen heritage language maintenance and education efforts, described and evaluated below.

Politics, the media, and Korean language acquisition in Japan

This paper explores the impact that media coverage of current events has on the identity and language maintenance of language minorities by examining recent coverage of two major events related to the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea which were heavily covered by Japanese news media: the joint hosting of the 2002 soccer World Cup by Japan and South Korea during the early summer of 2002, and the admission by Kim Jong Il that North Korea had abducted a number of Japanese during the 1970s and 1980s. A small-scale survey of resident Koreans and interviews with the principals of three Korean schools in Kyoto as well as a teacher at one of these schools focused on the effects media reports of these events had on resident Koreans in Japan and the Korean language schools they maintain. Although the overall response to the survey was rather subdued, when it is considered together with the interviews with the school principals, the results give a glimpse of the strong impact media coverage can have on heritage language maintenance programs.

The Effects of Japanese Heritage Language Maintenance on Scholastic Verbal and Academic Achievement in English

Abstract: This article investigates the effects of the maintenance of Japanese as a heritage language on English and overall academic achievement. The interrelationships amongjapanese oral and writing proficiency, SAT I Verbal, SAT I, and high school grade point average (GPA) were examined. The participants were 31 second generation Japanese‐American college students in Southern California, and the data was obtained from the subjects' self reports. No significant relationships were found between Japanese proficiency and English proficiency or between Japanese proficiency and overall academic achievement. The study suggests that the maintenance of a heritage language does not produce any negative effects on English development and on academic achievement.

Student Spanish Use and Investment in a Dual Immersion Classroom: Implications for Second Language Acquisition and Heritage Language Maintenance

In dual immersion classrooms, students from different language backgrounds are immersed in the minority language for large portions of the school day with the expectation that they will become equally proficient in their first language (L1) and in their second language (L2). Research on dual immersion indicates that students reach above‐average levels of academic achievement and linguistic proficiency, but, to date, very few quantifications have been made of how much of the minority language is used in these environments. Given that actually speaking a language is crucial for L2 acquisition as well as for heritage language maintenance, this study explored how much Spanish was used and for what purposes by 4 students (2 Spanish L1 and 2 two Spanish L2) in a Spanish/English dual immersion classroom.Over 2,000 turns of natural classroom speech were recorded during a 5‐month period. Overall, the students used Spanish 56% of the time, with 4 major trends: (a) The girls used more Spanish than the boys, regardless of L1; (b) the students averaged 82% Spanish when talking with the teacher, but only 32% when talking to peers; (c) Spanish was used primarily for on‐task topics; (d) the students' English when speaking with peers covered a wider range of functions than did their Spanish. These findings lend support to proposals that a kind of diglossia exists in immersion classrooms (Tarone & Swain, 1995).Additional ethnographic data gathered through extensive participant‐observations and interviews were interpreted using the concept of investment (Norton, 2000). Explanations of the students' language use are offered according to their sometimes competing identity investments.

The Paradox of Linguistic Hegemony and the Maintenance of Spanish as a Heritage Language in the United States

It is instructive to interpret patterns of language use in light of the interaction between language use and an individual's awareness of, and resistance towards, linguistic hegemony. While heritage language maintenance is often described as language use motivated by antihegemonic ideologies, this paper suggests that the paradox of the resistance to linguistic hegemony is that in order to be successful, this resistance necessitates acquiescence to this hegemony on a certain level, namely proficiency in the dominant language. This paper contends that a key element influencing the dynamic between these existing factors and language maintenance is the speaker's awareness of, and response to, the paradox of the resistance to linguistic hegemony. Awareness of and conviction towards this paradox seems to supply a dynamic in an individual's conviction towards heritage language maintenance. This paper reports the results of a study that examined this interaction in the case studies of families maintaining Spanish across generations in a rural town in upstate New York, USA. The displays of power illustrated on a personal exchange level, on the media level, and within institutions seem to illuminate the awareness of and response to the paradox of linguistic hegemony – successful resistance that leads to heritage language maintenance.

The Korean Language in America: The Role of Cultural Identity in Heritage Language Learning

The paper examines the role of cultural identity and heritage language maintenance among the lives of 40 second-generation Korean-American university students in the United States. The study focuses on three questions: (1) what is the level of heritage language proficiency and language use among second generation Korean-American youths?; (2) which culture(s) do these youths identify themselves with, Korean or American, and to what extent?; and (3) is there a relationship between cultural identity and heritage language proficiency? Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the questionnaire data showed that most second-generation Korean-Americans achieve some level of Korean proficiency, but they overwhelmingly agree that it is not enough. They acknowledge the importance of knowing their heritage language, but feel that the existing language courses in the community-based language schools are not meeting their needs. The informants stated that the absence of societal recognition of the importance in maintaining their heritage language was the most significant factor in their lack of motivation to maintain their heritage language. However, they appear to have formed a unique bicultural identity composed of characteristics from both Korean and American cultures. A regression analysis showed that heritage language proficiency was related to strength of bicultural identification.

Loss and Maintenance of First Language Skills: Case Studies of Hispanic Families in Vancouver

This qualitative study aims to explore the loss and maintenance of Spanish in Hispanic children in Vancouver from the perspective of parents. It focuses on the experiences of Hispanic parents of children either developing bilingually (Spanish-English) or monolingually (English). The primary method of data collection is the semi-structured interview. Data collected in this study support the notion that first language (L1) cultural identity is crucial to heritage language maintenance in the context of a dominant second language (L2). However, the data contradict previous findings that a narrow linguistic community and the input of one parent are not sufficient for L1 maintenance. The bilingual (i.e., L1 maintenance) children in the present study had L1 input from only one parent and limited L1 contacts outside the home. The data also show that the type of encouragement parents give to their children to speak the L1 can have a facilitating or a detrimental effect. Therefore, this article urges parents committed to L1 maintenance to promote a positive attitude in their children and to address their affective needs accordingly.

Birth Order and the Language Experience of Bilingual Children

N TESOL professionals are increasingly called on to defend the maintenance of heritage languages and to recognize the issues associated with language loss (e.g., Kouritzin, 2000). Research findings such as those indicating that the earlier Spanish-speaking Mexican immigrants began learning English, the lower their levels of proficiency in Spanish (Hakuta & D'Andrea, 1992) prompt questions about the factors affecting language loss and maintenance. However, a very limited research base exists concerning personal factors that may influence an individual child to develop or neglect his or her heritage language. This report presents some initial data concerning one such factor-birth order, a child's place relative to other children in a family.

Metalinguistic References in a Spanish/English Corpus

A corpus of novels and short stories containing Spanish/English code-switching offers a rich source of metalinguistic references reflecting the sociolinguistic pressures faced by Spanish speakers in the United States. Issues represented include: heritage language loss or maintenance, motivations for the acquisition of English or of Spanish, attitudes toward the speakers of each language and toward its different varieties, and beliefs concerning who may use which languages and for what purposes. These texts suggest several implications for use in programs of Spanish for Native Speakers as well as in undergraduate courses in Spanish linguistics. Works from this body of literature can be used in the classroom to raise interest in and awareness of personal and societal language attitudes, and of the challenges to Spanish language maintenance. These texts also present many interesting examples of language variation.

A Mother's Tongue

* This commentary significantly departs from the standard written form for contributions to The Forum over the years (i.e., 1992-1999). While commenting on one aspect of TESOL that is of particular professional and personal interest to me-the development and maintenance of minority Lls during childhood second language acquisition (e.g., Kouritzin, 1999, in press)-I present an argument for the importance of continued use of the familial heritage language by referring to documented accounts of my own experiences as the (White) mother of (biracial) Japanese-speaking children. I hope to augment the academic arguments in favour of bilingual education and heritage language maintenance with a more intense, lived, personal one. My husband and I wish to ensure that our children grow up bilingual-speaking, reading, and writing not only English but also their other heritage language, Japanese. The reasons for this imperative are threefold: