The acquisition of heritage languages is a timely synthesis of the state of heritage language acquisition research. In this text, Silvina Montrul explores classic studies of bilingualism and language contact to contextualize the topic, condenses findings from the wealth of heritage language acquisition research that has emerged in the last two decades, and advances several theoretical models to give shape and cohesiveness to the field as well as to motivate future research. Effectively balancing comprehensiveness with an accessible writing style, this text is ideal for students, researchers, and heritage language educators who have a preliminary background in linguistic terminology.
The book consists of nine chapters. Each chapter summarizes the findings and characteristics relevant to each section's topic with clear tables. Chapter 1 is an introduction, orienting readers to the field and laying out several key concepts and definitions. Chapter 2 further defines heritage languages, speakers, and communities through global examples. Emphasis is placed on the heritage language's societal status and conditions for learning in classifying heritage speakers. Building on these sociolinguistic descriptions, chapter 3 characterizes idiosyncrasies of the language of heritage speakers by giving an overview of their typical linguistic skills and the linguistic features common to their grammars.
Chapter 4 shifts focus from heritage languages to the heterogeneous nature of bilingual development. Here, different types of bilingualism—including adult second-language acquisition, immigration contexts, and childhood bilingualism—are compared with heritage language acquisition. Individual and contextual factors, including age and input effects, are analyzed with respect to how they affect the language development of bilinguals in general, and heritage speakers in particular. Chapter 5 applies existing theories of language acquisition to the characteristics of heritage languages and speakers previously discussed. The chapter then reviews how differing theoretical approaches have been used to motivate research on heritage language acquisition. Similarly, chapter 6 discusses methodologies that have been used in previous research, with attention to issues relevant to heritage populations in choosing new methods for research.
With theoretical and methodological considerations covered, chapter 7 shifts to highlight recent research, which demonstrates the ways in which heritage speakers have language competence similar to monolingual native speakers. Chapter 8, in contrast, compares heritage speaker acquisition to second language acquisition. Finally, chapter 9 concludes with implications of heritage language acquisition research for the language sciences, language education, and language policy.
The most forceful and compelling argument that is woven throughout the text is that heritage speakers are native speakers of their languages, even though they diverge from monolinguals raised in majority language societies. An interacting combination of contextual and individual factors—including age of acquisition, education, and language ideologies—shape heritage speakers’ diverging grammars throughout their lives. The author consistently conveys the message that heritage language acquisition is a field characterized by complexity and heterogeneity which would benefit from research in a variety of theoretical backgrounds and methodologies. Overall, Montrul summarizes our current state of knowledge, and provides future directions for research in heritage language acquisition.
