John Benjamins Publishing Company
Heritage language development
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Abstract
This chapter examines the roles of: (a) ethnic identity, (b) participation in a Japanese heritage language (JHL) school, and (c) the perceived vitality of the local Japanese community in California in promoting learners’ proficiency in Japanese. Questionnaires were given to 31 JHL learners, from grades seven through eleven, who lived in California and attended a hoshuukoo (Saturday Japanese supplementary school) there. The major finding of this chapter is that attendance at a hoshuukoo promoted the development of Japanese proficiency and Japanese ethnic identity. In addition, the results also reveal that the highschool students identified themselves as more Japanese than the younger students. Attendance at the hoshuukoo appears to be increasingly important over time to the students developing their JHL proficiency – particularly developing their Japanese literacy skills.
Abstract
This chapter examines the roles of: (a) ethnic identity, (b) participation in a Japanese heritage language (JHL) school, and (c) the perceived vitality of the local Japanese community in California in promoting learners’ proficiency in Japanese. Questionnaires were given to 31 JHL learners, from grades seven through eleven, who lived in California and attended a hoshuukoo (Saturday Japanese supplementary school) there. The major finding of this chapter is that attendance at a hoshuukoo promoted the development of Japanese proficiency and Japanese ethnic identity. In addition, the results also reveal that the highschool students identified themselves as more Japanese than the younger students. Attendance at the hoshuukoo appears to be increasingly important over time to the students developing their JHL proficiency – particularly developing their Japanese literacy skills.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Author information ix
- Introduction 1
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Section 1: Heritage language development among East Asian immigrant families
- The role of parents in heritage language maintenance and development 15
- Balancing L1 maintenance and L2 learning 33
- Grandparents, grandchildren, and heritage language use in Korean 57
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Section 2: The influence of educational institutions on heritage language development
- Heritage language development 89
- High-stakes testing and heritage language maintenance 127
- Japanese English bilingual children in three different language environments 145
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Section 3: Heritage language use and proficiency: Associated and predictive factors
- Heritage language maintenance by Korean-American college students 175
- First language use and language behavior of Chinese students in Toronto, Canada 209
- East Asian heritage language proficiency development 243
- References 259
- Index 279
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Author information ix
- Introduction 1
-
Section 1: Heritage language development among East Asian immigrant families
- The role of parents in heritage language maintenance and development 15
- Balancing L1 maintenance and L2 learning 33
- Grandparents, grandchildren, and heritage language use in Korean 57
-
Section 2: The influence of educational institutions on heritage language development
- Heritage language development 89
- High-stakes testing and heritage language maintenance 127
- Japanese English bilingual children in three different language environments 145
-
Section 3: Heritage language use and proficiency: Associated and predictive factors
- Heritage language maintenance by Korean-American college students 175
- First language use and language behavior of Chinese students in Toronto, Canada 209
- East Asian heritage language proficiency development 243
- References 259
- Index 279
