Designed for Hispanic students who want to improve their formal knowledge of the language and gain cultural insights into their heritage. Deals with such problematic areas as lack of vocabulary to express ideas, correct use of accents, orthography and interference from English due to differences between Spanish and English grammar.

The Routledge Handbook of Spanish as a Heritage Language brings together contributions from leading linguists, educators and Latino Studies scholars involved in teaching and working with Spanish heritage language speakers. This state-of-the-art overview covers a range of topics within five broad areas: Spanish in U.S. public life, Spanish heritage language use and systems, educational contexts, Latino studies perspectives and Spanish outside the U.S. The Routledge Handbook of Spanish as a Heritage Language addresses for the first time the linguistic, educational and social aspects of heritage Spanish speakers in one volume making it an indispensable reference for anyone working with Spanish as a heritage language.

This book documents ongoing language shift to English among Latino professionals in California. It then describes current instructional practices used in the teaching of Spanish as an academic subject at the high school and university levels to 'heritage' language students who, although educated entirely in English, acquired Spanish at home as a first language. It specifically examines the potential contribution of these instructional practices to the maintenance of Spanish.

An increasing number of U.S. Latinos are seeking to become more proficient in Spanish. The Spanish they may have been exposed to in childhood may not be sufficient when they find themselves as adults in more demanding environments, academic or professional. Heritage language learners appear in a wide spectrum of proficiency, from those who have a low level of speaking abilities, to those who may have a higher degree of bilingualism, but not fluent. Whatever the individual case may be, these heritage speakers of Spanish have different linguistic and pedagogical needs than those students learning Spanish as a second or foreign language. The members of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) have identified teaching heritage learners as their second greatest area of concern (after proficiency testing). Editors Ana Roca and Cecilia Colombi saw a great need for greater availability and dissemination of scholarly research in applied linguistics and pedagogy that address the development and maintenance of Spanish as a heritage language and the teaching of Spanish to U.S. Hispanic bilingual students in grades K-16. The result is Mi lengua: Spanish as a Heritage Language in the United States. Mi lengua delves into the research, theory, and practice of teaching Spanish as a heritage language in the United States. The editors and contributors examine theoretical considerations in the field of Heritage Language Development (HLD) as well as community and classroom-based research studies at the elementary, secondary, and university levels. Some chapters are written in Spanish and each chapter presents a practical section on pedagogical implications that provides practice-related suggestions for the teaching of Spanish as a heritage language to students from elementary grades to secondary and college and university levels.

Aproximaciones al estudio del español como lengua de herencia reúne diversas perspectivas sobre el estudio del español como lengua de herencia en el contexto de los Estados Unidos. El volumen presenta una amplia gama de enfoques lingüísticos, modelos pedagógicos e innovaciones programáticas. Dirigido a investigadores noveles y experimentados, al igual que a estudiantes y profesionales de la enseñanza, es un volumen ideal para aquellas personas que desean actualizar sus conocimientos del campo y obtener una perspectiva panorámica sobre la investigación y la enseñanza del español como lengua de herencia. Características principales: temas que incluyen, entre otros, la fonología/la fonética, la morfosintaxis, la pragmática, la enseñanza mediante el enfoque por tareas, la literacidad múltiple, el translenguar, los programas de community college, el español para fines específicos y la investigación-acción; contenidos teóricos, empíricos y pragmáticos relevantes para la enseñanza del español como lengua de herencia; descripciones y ejemplos que facilitan la adquisición de conocimientos sobre la materia; diferentes secciones que permiten la flexibilidad en cuanto al orden de lectura del volumen; preguntas de reflexión al final de cada capítulo para facilitar la comprensión de los temas presentados. Escrito de manera clara y accesible, Aproximaciones al estudio del español como lengua de herencia es un recurso indispensable para cursos de grado y posgrado en español sobre el español como lengua de herencia. Aproximaciones al estudio del español como lengua de herencia brings together a number of diverse scholarly voices and perspectives on the study of Spanish as a heritage language with a focus on the United States context. The volume presents a comprehensive view of this growing and dynamic field with the latest on linguistic approaches, pedagogical models, and programmatic innovations. Directed to beginning and seasoned researchers as well as to students and practitioners who wish to update their knowledge of the field and gain a fresh perspective on different approaches to researching and teaching Spanish heritage bilinguals. Written in Spanish for a wider audience in the Spanish-speaking world and for the teaching of undergraduate and graduate courses in Spanish. Key features: A broad range of topics including phonology/phonetics, morphosyntax, pragmatics, task-based language teaching, multiliteracy, translanguaging, community college programs, Spanish for specific purposes and action research among others; Clear overviews of theoretical, empirical and pragmatic issues relevant to the teaching of Spanish as a heritage language; Every chapter builds on specific core questions central to current understandings of research and practice; Concise descriptions and examples throughout provide readers with the tools they need to understand the subject matter; Organized into three sections that allows for flexibility regarding reading order; A section of reflection questions at the end of each chapter to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the issues at stake. Written in clear and accessible Spanish, Aproximaciones al estudio del español como lengua de herencia is a critical resource for those interested in understanding Spanish heritage speakers’ multifaceted linguistic experience in tandem with providing a meaningful educational experience that supports their personal, professional, and learning goals.

En respuesta al creciente interés por los estudios ecológicos de los fenómenos lingüísticos, este volumen presta especial atención a la influencia de los contextos culturales, históricos, sociales y políticos.

Thirty-three million people in the United States speak some variety of Spanish, making it the second most used language in the country. Some of these people are recent immigrants from many different countries who have brought with them the linguistic traits of their homelands, while others come from families who have lived in this country for hundreds of years. John M. Lipski traces the importance of the Spanish language in the United States and presents an overview of the major varieties of Spanish that are spoken there. Varieties of Spanish in the United States provides—in a single volume—useful descriptions of the distinguishing characteristics of the major varieties, from Cuban and Puerto Rican, through Mexican and various Central American strains, to the traditional varieties dating back to the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries found in New Mexico and Louisiana. Each profile includes a concise sketch of the historical background of each Spanish-speaking group; current demographic information; its sociolinguistic configurations; and information about the phonetics, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and each group's interactions with English and other varieties of Spanish. Lipski also outlines the scholarship that documents the variation and richness of these varieties, and he probes the phenomenon popularly known as "Spanglish." The distillation of an entire academic career spent investigating and promoting the Spanish language in the United States, this valuable reference for teachers, scholars, students, and interested bystanders serves as a testimony to the vitality and legitimacy of the Spanish language in the United States. It is recommended for courses on Spanish in the United States, Spanish dialectology and sociolinguistics, and teaching Spanish to heritage speakers.