Heritage Languages: In the ‘Wild’ and in the Classroom

Abstract Heritage speakers are people raised in a home where one language is spoken who subsequently switch to another dominant language. The version of the home language that they have not completely acquired – heritage language – has only recently been given the attention it deserves from linguists and language instructors. Despite the appearance of great variation among heritage speakers, they fall along a continuum based upon the speakers’ distance from the baseline language. Such a continuum‐based model enables researchers and instructors to classify heritage speakers more accurately and readily. This article discusses the results of research on lower‐proficiency speakers, identifying recurrent features…