Preserving Heritage Languages

I’ve decided to write on maintaining heritage languages of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Research supports that language one (L1) proficiency helps with second language (L2) acquisition. In order for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students to be successful in school education they must be proficient in their L1. Second language acquisition is acquired more successfully by CLD students when they have knowledge and literacy skills in their first language and can transfer these skills to learn the target language, English. Educators and policy makers should consider the importance of heritage languages due to the fact that many diverse ethnic language groups live in the US.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Many educators and policy makers have often wondered why CLD students don’t do well in their school education. In order for educators to better assist diverse language groups, they must understand them. Ruth Lingxin Yan (2003), the author of Parental Perceptions on Maintaining Heritage Languages of CLD Students did a study on CLD students, there were four families. She did an interview with four parents to try and understand how they perceived practicing their heritage language at home and their attitudes towards preserving their heritage languages. These families emphasized that their continued practice of their L1 helped them be able to communicate with their family members, discipline their children, teach them values, job opportunities and helped with their English learning. The language groups emphasized that it helped their children with their L2 acquisition.  

In the study, data were collected over how frequently the following language groups: Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and Hebrew used their heritage language in their home setting. The Chinese, used their heritage language 90% of the time; the Arabic language group used their heritage language 61% of the time; the Spanish language group used it 50% of the time and the Hebrew group only used it 52% of the time, for religious reasons (p. 104). The first three groups practiced their heritage languages because they thought it was important for their children's “academic learning in the English-language schools” (p. 104). Overall, Chinese and Arabic language groups practiced their heritage language more than the other groups in their home setting. The reasons why they used their L1 in their home setting were: to help with their English learning, to teach stories, family background, to teach morals and values, and culture (p. 105).

According to research, parents who are more involved with their children’s education are more successful. Yan explains that schools should consider the parents attitudes towards their stand on heritage language preservation because of the cognitive, identity and second language acquisition benefits.  School districts should do their best to implement bilingual education or other programs that will help them continue the development of their heritage languages.

The following video "Parents Take on Bilingual Education" demonstrates how parents feel about the use of their native language. They believe that providing a bilingual education helps ELLs greatly.

The following video shows a teacher who gives examples of what parents of CLD students can do to be involved in their children's education. Teachers are encouraged to welcome the help of CLD students' parents, this way, they know and see what their children are learning at school. Learning can be a great learning experience for both the student and the parents, as well as for the educator (s).  

Some things that ESL teachers can do to assist CLD students are: provide resources in more than one language, have bilingual guests visit their classrooms to share about their culture, emphasize the importance to parents about continuing to practice their L1 and mention that the public library has resources in their L1 (p. 209).

There are several reasons why heritage languages of culturally and linguistically diverse students should be preserved. Some of those reasons are: students, who are proficient in their heritage language, will help them to acquire content knowledge in their L2; it helps students understand their culture; communicate with their parents and family; they are able to practice cultural beliefs and it helps them with their self-esteem.  All these are good reasons for educators and policy makers to want to contribute in the preservation of heritage languages. Helping CLD students can open many doors of opportunities in the real world.


The "Bilingual Families Clip" is a video that demonstrates or gives a quick glimpse of what  it is to be a bilingual family. Teaching children to continue to use their native language provides the sense of being "special" because they are able to identify themselves using their languages that are being practiced in their home setting.

Sources:

Yan, R (2003). Parental perceptions on maintaining heritage languages of cld students. Bilingual review, 27(2), 99-113.Retrieved from EBSCO host.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpqy4C6z4J4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf1rlf2myCA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCJm1NFu_tE