Heritage Language Learners and Language Teaching

Abstract

Abstract In this entry, we define and contextualize the term “heritage language,” which emerged in the 1980s in applied linguistics and has since been applied in both scholarly contexts and educational settings. We mainly discuss the educational paradigm's definition of the term, which, in order to conceptualize and concretize possibilities of language learning and transmission, emphasizes socially contextual use in multilingual environments, language minoritization, and the problematics surrounding the “native speaker” and language ideologies that privilege monolingualism. We then discuss the state of research on heritage language education, drawing attention to educational possibilities and problems in mainstream schooling as well as in local community‐based schools. Finally, we raise future directions for research and practice.