Language policy, language study, and heritage language education in the U.S.
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Kendall A. King
Abstract
Language policy and language study in the U.S. have long been defined by three trends: an absence of national-level language policy; a highly multilingual history characterized by overwhelming shift towards English; and a tendency for educational policy to shift students rapidly towards English monolingualism, with students later needing to relearn these same, now ‘foreign’ languages in high school or university, resulting in dismally low proficiency levels. This chapter briefly considers these contradictions, all of which rest on pervasive ideologies of monolingualism and result in the tremendous squandering of linguistic riches. The chapter then offers examples of how language policy and language study play out in three very different heritage language learning contexts in the U.S., each focusing on a different type of language learner, language, and language policy. These include assessment and learning of Spanish among heritage speakers; language revitalization of Indigenous languages, and the teaching and learning in Chinese in community school contexts. We close by considering ongoing challenges to language study in the U.S., including teacher training and curriculum development.
Abstract
Language policy and language study in the U.S. have long been defined by three trends: an absence of national-level language policy; a highly multilingual history characterized by overwhelming shift towards English; and a tendency for educational policy to shift students rapidly towards English monolingualism, with students later needing to relearn these same, now ‘foreign’ languages in high school or university, resulting in dismally low proficiency levels. This chapter briefly considers these contradictions, all of which rest on pervasive ideologies of monolingualism and result in the tremendous squandering of linguistic riches. The chapter then offers examples of how language policy and language study play out in three very different heritage language learning contexts in the U.S., each focusing on a different type of language learner, language, and language policy. These include assessment and learning of Spanish among heritage speakers; language revitalization of Indigenous languages, and the teaching and learning in Chinese in community school contexts. We close by considering ongoing challenges to language study in the U.S., including teacher training and curriculum development.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Introduction 1
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Part I. Policy perspectives
- Language education in and for a multilingual Europe 33
- Multilingualism and education in sub-Saharan Africa 57
- Language policy, language study, and heritage language education in the U.S. 77
- Globalization, national identity, and multiculturalism and multilingualism 99
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Part II. Theoretical perspectives
- L3, the tertiary language 127
- Plurilingual identities 151
- Models of multilingual competence 173
- The multilingual turn in foreign language education 191
- Linguistic landscaping 213
- Identity and investment in multilingual classrooms 237
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Part III. Empirical perspectives
- The acquisition of English as an L3 from a sociocultural point of view 255
- Affordances of multilingual learning situations – Possibilities and constraints for foreign language classrooms 281
- L1 effects in the early L3 acquisition of vocabulary and grammar 305
- “One day a father and his son going fishing on the Lake.” – A study on the use of the progressive aspect of monolingual and bilingual learners of English 331
- English as a lingua franca at the multilingual university 359
- Learning English demonstrative pronouns on bilingual substrate 381
- Contributors 407
- Subject index 419
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Policy perspectives
- Language education in and for a multilingual Europe 33
- Multilingualism and education in sub-Saharan Africa 57
- Language policy, language study, and heritage language education in the U.S. 77
- Globalization, national identity, and multiculturalism and multilingualism 99
-
Part II. Theoretical perspectives
- L3, the tertiary language 127
- Plurilingual identities 151
- Models of multilingual competence 173
- The multilingual turn in foreign language education 191
- Linguistic landscaping 213
- Identity and investment in multilingual classrooms 237
-
Part III. Empirical perspectives
- The acquisition of English as an L3 from a sociocultural point of view 255
- Affordances of multilingual learning situations – Possibilities and constraints for foreign language classrooms 281
- L1 effects in the early L3 acquisition of vocabulary and grammar 305
- “One day a father and his son going fishing on the Lake.” – A study on the use of the progressive aspect of monolingual and bilingual learners of English 331
- English as a lingua franca at the multilingual university 359
- Learning English demonstrative pronouns on bilingual substrate 381
- Contributors 407
- Subject index 419
