| Language competence is an essential component | | | | valuable, and necessary, the term has continued |
| of personal, academic, and economic processes | | | | to be used to reflect the broad range of |
| and success. Children of first-generation | | | | connections to the diverse heritages that |
| immigrants, who are raised in homes where a | | | | generations of immigrants in our nation retain. |
| language other than English is spoken, grow up | | | | Not all heritage language speakers are the same; |
| with a better-than-average opportunity to develop | | | | they differ in achieved proficiency levels, |
| additive bilingualism, that is, proficiency in both | | | | motivations, attitudes, and degrees of ethnic |
| English and their heritage language. | | | | attachment toward the language. Indeed, some |
| In American schools, many do not realize this | | | | persons retain very little of their ancestral |
| potential. Soon after they enter school, the | | | | languages and are nonetheless known as heritage |
| expectations, pressures, and desire to assimilate | | | | speakers because they retain some degree of |
| into the majority culture lead immigrant children to | | | | passive knowledge of the language. |
| quickly abandon their heritage terminology for | | | | Furthermore, heritage language speakers differ |
| English, as Lily Wong Fillmore and other | | | | from traditional foreign-language learners in that |
| researchers have found. | | | | they are likely to possess cultural knowledge that |
| Studies have also shown, repeatedly, the positive | | | | enables them to understand subtle nuances and |
| effects of high quality additive bilingualism on | | | | to practice culturally appropriate behaviors more |
| immigrant children's academic achievement, | | | | readily perhaps, than do those who study the |
| identity development, and family relationships. | | | | same language as a foreign language. |
| Richard Brecht and William Rivers, as well as | | | | Often, however, heritage language speakers have |
| Joshua A. Fishman, Robert Cooper, and Yehudit | | | | not received formal instruction in the language |
| Rosenbaum, have documented potential benefits | | | | and, thus, may lack the prestige or formal |
| the national economy and security. This entry | | | | registers of the language, literacy skills, a highly |
| describes the benefits of retaining one's heritage | | | | developed vocabulary, and grammatical accuracy |
| language. | | | | in the language. Debate exists about the |
| Heritage language speakers represent more than | | | | characteristics and linguistic profiles of heritage |
| 175 language backgrounds in the United States. | | | | language speakers because of the broad diversity |
| Heritage language refers to an immigrant, | | | | of life circumstances that can connect an individual |
| indigenous, or ancestral language that may have | | | | to a language. |
| linguistic, ethnic, religious, cultural, or symbolic | | | | Despite the uncertainties about what constitutes a |
| relevance for a speaker. In the literature, the | | | | heritage language speaker, a body of literature |
| term has been used synonymously with | | | | has been developing about the effects of heritage |
| community language, native language, first | | | | language maintenance on the growing population |
| language, primary terminology, and mother tongue | | | | of immigrant children in the United States. One of |
| although some authors make distinctions among | | | | society's greatest ills is low academic achievement |
| these designations. | | | | among minority students. This is illustrated by the |
| Despite criticisms (as reported by Colin Baker and | | | | stark achievement gap between linguistic minority |
| Sylvia Jones and by Nancy Hornberger) that | | | | students and majority students and the high |
| heritage evokes images of the past and the old | | | | school drop-out rates, especially among Latino |
| rather than images of something modern, | | | | youth. |