Advances in Spanish as a Heritage Language

“Advances in Spanish as a Heritage Language is a pioneering work because it brings together linguistic and educational studies, perspectives, methodologies and debates, in an effort to find connections among these fields and thus better serve the academic community devoted to the study of heritage languages. This work gives a unique chance for both beginner and experienced scholars in various disciplines to get an objective and thorough review of the current state of Spanish, the heritage language par excellence in the United States. One major advantage is that the findings of this work can also be applied to other heritage languages in the world, for example to Polish in the United Kingdom or to Turkish in Germany. [...] My overall opinion is very positive. This book is well organized, the list of topics covered is comprehensive, and it addresses multiple audiences. Novice scholars in linguistics, K–12 and postsecondary education will find the discussion of the most important debates given at the beginning of each unit especially useful. For the experienced linguist, new data on recurring themes in heritage language acquisition studies is presented. Finally, language coordinators and course administrators will benefit from the suggested tips on how to expand and enhance their heritage language curricula. This work is indeed a landmark that will help specialists to further advance their knowledge in the field of heritage languages.”

“This book not only charts the past and present of heritage language research and teaching but also anticipates the future. It offers a unique collection of work informed by substantive formal linguistic and educational research. While the book focuses on Spanish, it can be used as a handbook by teachers of any heritage language as well as by researchers who are looking for new directions to explore.”

“This volume is an excellent addition to the literature on Heritage Language Acquisition. It is an essential read for scholars and students interested in bridging the gap between formal linguistic studies and research focusing on pedagogical approaches to developing Spanish as a heritage language in the classroom and beyond.”

“This excellent book brings together formal and educational approaches to heritage language education. It will lead to much-needed conversations between theoretical and applied linguists about the nature of bilingual acquisition and use. The editor is to be congratulated for bringing together this must-read volume.”