Special Issue of Languages Journal

A testament to the explosion of interest in heritage languages can be seen in the volume of recent publications addressing the topic. In just the last seven years, nine books (six edited volumes (Beaudrie and Fairclough 2012; Fairclough and Beaudrie 2016; Kagan, Carreira, and Chik 2017; Pascual y Cabo 2016; Potowski 2018; Zapata and Lacorte 2018) and three single-authored manuscripts (Beaudrie, Ducar, and Potowski 2014; Montrul 2016; Polinsky 2018)) have been published by academic presses on the topic of heritage languages, and several recent Special Issues of peer-reviewed journals have also been dedicated to the topics of minority/heritage languages in that time period in high-profile publications such as Studies in Second Language Acquisition and The International Journal of Bilingualism.

Research on heritage languages to date has focused on a range of issues, including language policy and identity, descriptive studies of heritage speaker profiles, and socio-cultural factors in language maintenance (Brinton, Kagan, and Bauckus 2008). Theoretical linguists have also begun to research aspects of such speakers’ minority language grammars for the contributions they make to long-standing debates about necessary and sufficient conditions for language acquisition (Benmamoun, Montrul, and Polinsky 2013). However, despite the growing amount of research from different perspectives on heritage speaker populations around the world, few studies have examined the outcomes of classroom teaching of minority languages (Bowles and Torres, accepted; Bowles 2018; Sanz and Torres 2018; Montrul and Bowles 2017). According to Carreira and Kagan (2018), “(t)hat HL learners’ language pedagogical needs differ from those of second language (L2) learners has been the central tenet of the field from its inception. However, the precise nature of these needs and what they mean for instruction have started to come into focus only recently”.

To this end, we are organizing this Special Issue as a compilation of empirical (data-based) studies on the outcomes of heritage language instruction to answer the question, “How does instruction in diverse contexts impact learners?” Studies can address how instruction affects linguistic knowledge as well as how it impacts learners in other ways (e.g., extralinguistic effects, such as the desire to continue studying the heritage language, community involvement, and attitudes and perceptions). We are also interested in studies conducted across a number of contexts that can include local and study abroad settings.

We welcome studies that have examined the effects of instruction in any heritage language, as well as studies that have been conducted in the following contexts: formal educational settings (e.g., elementary, middle, and high schools, community colleges, and universities); community (Saturday or weekend) heritage language schools that operate outside the formal educational system; service-learning programs that connect heritage learners with significant local community-based work; and, study abroad settings in which the learners’ heritage language is the majority language of the society.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400-600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editors with "Languages Special Issue" in the subject line ([email protected];[email protected] ) and cc /Languages/ editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the special issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

References:

  • Beaudrie, S. M., Ducar, C., & Potowski, K. (2014). Heritage language teaching: Research and practice. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Beaudrie, S. M. & Fairclough, M. (2012). Spanish as a heritage language in the United States: The State of the Field. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
  • Benmamoun, E., Montrul, S., & Polinksy, M. (2013). Heritage and their speakers: Opportunities and challenges for linguistics. Theoretical Linguistics, 39(3–4), 129–181.
  • Bowles, M. (2018). Outcomes of classroom Spanish heritage language instruction. In K. Potowski (Ed.), The Routledge handbook on Spanish as a heritage/minority language (pp. 331–344). New York: Routledge Press.
  • Bowles, M. & Torres, J. (accepted). Instructed heritage language acquisition. In M. Polinsky & S. Montrul (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of heritage languages and linguistics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Brinton, D. M., Kagan, O., & Bauckus, S. (2008). Heritage language education: A new field emerging. New York: Routledge.
  • Carreira, M. & Kagan, O. (2018). Heritage language education: A proposal for the next 50 years. Foreign Language Annals, 51(1), 152–168.
  • Fairclough, M. & Beaudrie, S. M. (2016). Innovative strategies for heritage language teaching: A practical guide for the classroom. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
  • Kagan, O., Carreira, M., & Chik, C. (2017). The Routledge handbook of heritage language education: From innovation to program building. New York: Routledge Press.
  • Montrul, S. (2016). The acquisition of heritage languages. Philadelphia/Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
  • Montrul, S. & Bowles, M. (2017). Instructed heritage language acquisition. In S. Loewen & M. Sato (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of instructed second language acquisition (pp. 488–502). New York: Routledge Press.
  • Pascual y Cabo, D. (2016). Advances in Spanish as a heritage language. Philadelphia/Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
  • Polinsky, M. (2018). Heritage languages and their speakers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Potowski, K. (2018). The Routledge handbook of Spanish as a minority/heritage language. New York: Routledge Press.
  • Sanz, C. & Torres, J. (2018). The prior language experience of heritage bilinguals. In P. A. Malovrh & A. G. Benati (Eds.), The handbook of advanced proficiency in second language acquisition (pp. 179–198). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Press.
  • Zapata, G. C. & Lacorte, M. (2017). Multiliteracies pedagogy and language learning: Teaching Spanish to heritage speakers. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave MacMillan.