heritage speaker

English

Noun

heritage speaker (plural heritage speakers)

1. (linguistics) Someone who speaks a heritage language ("one's former native language, lost during childhood or early adulthood, or underdeveloped in favor of a more dominant majority language.").
   • 2002 November 27, Stuart Silverstein, “A Heads-Up Approach to Teaching Spanish”, in Los Angeles Times‎^[1], Los Angeles, L.A.: Los Angeles Times Communications LLC, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-04-28:

     At UCLA, which is emerging as a leader in the field, separate classes already are available for heritage speakers of Chinese, Korean, Russian and Spanish.

   • 2015 October 27, Melinda D. Anderson, “How Politics and Bilingualism Collide in the Classroom”, in The Atlantic‎^[2], Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-08-08:

     Kagan's survey of California college students found many "heritage speakers" wished to study their home language at school to connect with their culture, build their literacy, and strengthen their bonds with relatives.

   • 2018 April 18, Max Boot, “My mom's move to America showed strength. That was just the start.”, in The Washington Post‎^[3], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 May 2023:

     She designed a class for heritage speakers at UCLA that advanced them to high-level coursework in one year by building on what they know rather than harping on their deficiencies.

   • 2021 February 12, Connie Chang, “Connecting My Children to Their Heritage in Mandarin”, in The New York Times‎^[4], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-01-02:

     As a kid, my Saturday class was populated by students like me, with parents who spoke Mandarin exclusively at home. But the demographics of Mandarin learners today run the gamut from heritage speakers to those without a familial connection but with other motivations to learn (an affinity for the culture, an appreciation of Asia's growing importance in the world's economy).

References

• “heritage speaker”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Further reading

• Heritage language on Wikipedia.Wikipedia