This book addresses the complexity of mixed language classroom learning environments in which heritage learners (HL) and second language (L2) learners are concurrently exposed to language learning in the same physical space. Heritage speakers, defined widely as those exposed to the target language at home from an early age, tend to display higher oral proficiency and increased intercultural proficiency but lesser metalinguistic and grammatical awareness than L2 learners. The theoretical and pedagogical challenges of engaging both types of learners simultaneously without polarizing the classroom community dictates the need for well-defined, differentiated learning strategies; in response this book offers best practices and reproducible pedagogical initiatives and methodologies for different levels of instruction. The chapters address themes including translanguaging, linguistic identity, metalinguistic awareness and intercultural competence, with contributions from Europe, Africa and the United States.

An authoritative overview of research into heritage language acquisition, covering key terminological and empirical issues, theoretical approaches, and research methodologies.

"This book documents the latest research findings about the success of free voluntary reading in developing high levels of literacy"--Provided by publisher.

This book is the first volume to be devoted to the examination of the application of the multiliteracies pedagogical framework to the teaching of Spanish to heritage language learners in higher education institutions in the United States. The Hispanic population is a growing minority, and the presence of heritage speakers can be observed in second language Spanish classes in all levels of education, which presents unique challenges for practitioners. This collection focuses on differing populations of learners in educational settings in a variety of geographical areas, such as Arizona, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. The studies included in the volume offer invaluable data and methodological insights into the instructional advantages of multiliteracies pedagogies in heritage language classrooms, and they will appeal to Spanish practitioners and researchers, as well as those interested in the education and practice of heritage languages.

There is growing interest in heritage language learners—individuals who have a personal or familial connection to a nonmajority language. Spanish learners represent the largest segment of this population in the United States. In this comprehensive volume, experts offer an interdisciplinary overview of research on Spanish as a heritage language in the United States. They also address the central role of education within the field. Contributors offer a wealth of resources for teachers while proposing future directions for scholarship.

"... 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." María 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." María 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.

As in any other situation of languages in contact, Arabic spoken in the United States is changing under the influence of English. It has incorporated different linguistic innovations, and interference from English occurs on the various linguistic levels. However, in many cases this interference does not lead to language attrition, but rather to the creation of an ethnic language with special uses understood only by members of the Arab-American community. Developed out of Aleya Rouchdy's own involvement and teaching of Arabic in the United States, this book--the first of its kind--is devoted to the full range of Arabic in America. In Part I contributors discuss borrowing and the changes occurring on the various linguistic levels of Arabic and the social factors that have contributed to these changes. Other chapters in Part I deal with code-switching between English and Arabic. Part II examines the shift toward English and the maintenance of Arabic as well as the attitudes that speakers display toward Arabic. Chapters in Part ill are pedagogical in nature. The essays explore the history of the study of Arabic in the United States and examine methods and materials used in the teaching of Arabic, as well as some of the theoretical and practical implications associated with these different approaches. Primarily for readers with special interest in Arab immigration, settlement, and ethnicity, The Arabic Language in America will also engage the attention of sociologists, social historians, anthropologists, linguists, and sociolinguists, who will find the book relevant for their work.