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10 - The Vitality of Spanish as a Heritage Language in the United States

from Part I - Heritage Languages around the World

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2021

By
Maria M. Carreira
Edited by
Silvina Montrul  and
Maria Polinsky
Silvina Montrul
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Maria Polinsky
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park
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Summary

This chapter presents an overview of Spanish as a heritage language, using the framework of Capacity, Opportunity, Desire, to assess the vitality of US Spanish. Special attention is given to the state of Spanish-language education and its role in supporting vitality. Outlining two major directions for future pedagogical work, this chapter explores how the findings of heritage linguistics and the constructs of superdiversity and linguistic contact zones can strengthen the teaching of Spanish to heritage language learners.

Keywords

US Spanishlanguage vitalitysuperdiversity heritage language teachingdual language immersion programsthe Seal of Biliteracy
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics , pp. 230 - 251
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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