Response to inquiry: Definition of "heritage learner"

[Scott McGinnis]

From: Kari Lie [mailto:kari at karinorsk.com]
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 10:02 PM

While I agree that comments posted that heritage language learning can
be the (re)learning a native language, often in a different register, I
do not see that this definition is able to frame all heritage language
learners. I (for example) teach Norwegian, most of my students come from
Norwegian ancestry, and almost all identify themselves as
Norwegian-Americans. However, very few come to my class having any
previous language experiences or even exposure to the language.
Students come knowing the culture, the traditions, the food, and what
Norway used to be (through the stories they heard from grandma and
grandpa). These learners are clearly heritage language learners, but
they are learning the language for the first time.  I see that a
heritage language learner is someone taking part in learning a language
that is tied to them by some linguistic *and/or cultural* means.  (and
couldn't we also maybe add to this *religious*) ?

It is also important to point out that combining HL and non-HL learners
is not always (pedagogically) problematic. When HL learners come with
cultural knowledge (and not linguistic knowledge) it is an advantage to
have a mixture of HL and non-HL students together, NOT a disadvantage.

I recently completed my thesis on heritage language learning program
models in Norway for the Sami (an indigenous group) and Joy Peyton was
nice enough to send me some rough drafts of a few chapters in a
forthcoming book on heritage language learning.  I particularly liked a
chapter by Joshua Fishman who distinguished between indigenous,
immigrant, and colonial HLs; obviously each group is unique but I have
rarely found these distinctions in other research.  As I am now looking
at doing my dissertation on heritage languages I realize how little
research there is on heritage language learning that is focused on (or
even applicable) to colonial learners (which is the specific area that I
would like to focus on).

There has been some discussion on empirical research within heritage
language learning. I think the reason that this hasn't been done (at
least I have never been able to find
any) is that it would be challenging to design a study that would be
beneficial and applicable to all HL groups.  Although it would be
challenging, it would definitely be useful to see what is generalizable
for all groups (immigrant, indigenous, and colonial) and what is not.  I
do think it is possible and I think the findings would be very valuable
to us all!  Anyone up to that challenge?

Glad to see so much discussion lately!

Kari Lie
Norwegian Instructor,
St. Olaf College