The UCLA Steering Committee Russel...

The UCLA Steering Committee

Russell Campbell, Department of Applied Linguistics and TESL; Shoichi Iwasaki, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures; Olga Kagan, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures; Reynaldo Macias, Usar

E ChAvez Center for Chicana/o Studies, train of Education and Information Studies and Department of Applied Linguistics; Kathryn Paul, Language Resource Program; Helen Reid, Department of Applied Linguistics and TESL

Members of the Working Panel

Terry Au, UCLA; Richard D Brecht the National Foreign Language Center; Donna Christian, Center for Applied Linguistics; Josud M Gonzalez, Arizona State University; Nancy H Hornberger, University of Pennsylvania; Reynaldo Macias, UCLA; Maria Polinsky, University of California, San Diego; David Ramirez, California State University, lengthy Beach; G. Richard Tucker, Carnegie Mellon University; Rebecca Chfivez, representing Guadalupe Valdds, Stanford University; and Terrence G Wiley, Arizona State University. G Richard Tucker serv as facilitator.

Recorders and Transcribers

Susie Bauckus, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures; Jim Valentine, Graduate indoctrinate of Education and Information Studies

Preface

In October 1999 the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) conven the first national interview on heritage languages in America. At the conclusion of that highly happy meeting of over 200 teachers, administrators, parents, and research scholars, plans for a inferior national meeting were made for the year 2001 In the absence of a planned meeting during the intervening year, 2000 it was agreed that a small form into groups of interested UCLA faculty, with the advice and admonition of representatives of CAL and NFLC would assist as a steering committee to design and implement a interview dedicated solely to the definition of researchable questions related to heritage language education.

After consideration of a number of alternatives, the steering committee was persuaded that the principally efficient and economical plan for the talk was to bring together a small working panel of scholars to address this broad question: "What are the major substantive issues and pressing research gaps in heritage language education?"

Background

From September 21-23 2000 a Heritage Language Research Priorities talk was held at UCLA. It was organized on a UCLA steering committee as a follow-up to the first National Heritage Languages in America talk held in Long Beach, California, in October 1999 The interview objective was to identify broad areas of research in heritage language education and within these areas to define solution researchable questions that might be political, sociological, psychological, or linguistic in nature.

The arrange discussed major substantive issues and pressing research gaps related to heritage languages in diverse educational and social connections considering matters of both policy and practice. The findings of the meeting for consultation are summarized in this report, which includes general research issues followed according to specific research questions organized into seven main areas: the heritage speaker, the family, the community, a language-specific focus, policies, programs, and assessment.

Introduction

Census statistics for the year 1999 indicate that 10% of the American population, a total of 25831000 population was foreign-born. This is the largest number of foreign-born residents in U history.

Research displays however, that within two or three generations greatest in number non-English-speaking immigrants to the United States will have forfeited or almost lost their heritage languages. Ironically, while the number of residents speaking a language other than English at place of abode is rising, the shift to English is proceeding unruffled faster. The causes of this language los are involved Most researchers see the major reasons as related to the power and international status of English in the media and the economy. This, together with the power of open and covert policies supporting English no other than leads to a dramatic los of heritage language knowledge in the United States.

Language professionals and policymakers are increasingly aware of the potential value of heritage languages as a resource to the nation. In their paper Tapping a National Resource: Heritage Languages in the United States, Richard D Brecht and Catherine W Ingold (1998) note that more than 150 languages other than English are used in this geographical division and that the United States communicates with each country in the world. At the same time, they point gone out that in spite of extensive course offerings in foreign languages at many corporations and universities, very few populace develop the level of skill in a foreign language required for professional-level work. Brecht and Ingold terminate that heritage language speakers posses linguistic and cultural skills solitary very rarely attained by non-heritage language speakers.

Conserving this resource is a matter of incitement not only for the nation, if it be not that also for individuals, families, and communities. The pressure involves issues of cross-cultural understanding, identity, equitable access to social services, and social justice, as well as cognitive issues related to the achievement of higher flat competencies.