Heritage Language Acquisition

"... focuses on issues at the forefront of heritage language teaching and research. Its state of- the-art presentation will make this volume a standard reference book for investigators, teachers, and students. It will also generate further research and discussion, thereby advancing the field." Marìa Carreira, California State University - Long Beach, United States "In our multilingual and multicultural society there is an undeniable need to address issues of bilingualism, language maintenance, literacy development, and language policy. The subject of this book is timely.... It has potential to make a truly significant contribution to the field." Marìa Cecilia Colombi, University of California - Davis, United States This volume presents a multidisciplinary perspective on teaching heritage language learners. Contributors from theoretical and applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, psychology, educational policy, and pedagogy specialists explore policy and societal issues, present linguistic case studies, and discuss curricular issues, offering both research and hands-on innovation. The term "heritage language speaker" refers to an individual exposed to a language spoken at home but who is educated primarily in English. Research and curriculum design in heritage language education is just beginning. Heritage language pedagogy, including research associated with the attrition, maintenance, and growth of heritage language proficiency, is rapidly becoming a field in its own right within foreign language education. This book fills a current gap in both theory and pedagogy in this emerging field. It is a significant contribution to the goals of formulating theory, developing informed classroom practices, and creating enlightened programs for students who bring home-language knowledge into the classroom. Heritage Language Education: A New Field Emerging is dedicated to Professor Russell Campbell (1927-2003), who was instrumental in advocating for the creation of the field of heritage language education. Donna Brinton is a Professor of TESOL at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California. She also frequently serves as an English Language Specialist for U.S. Department of State, educating teachers around the world. She has presented and published on a wide variety of TESOL-related topics. Olga Kagan is the Director of the UCLA Center for World Languages and the National Heritage Language Resource Center. She is also the Coordinator of the UCLA Russian Language Program and the Director of the UCLA Russian Flagship Program. Susan Bauckus is a Staff Researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Managing Editor of the Heritage Language Journal.Bauckus, Susan is the author of 'Heritage Language Acquisition', published 2007 under ISBN 9780805848038 and ISBN 0805848037.