| Mi Lengua: Spanish As A Heritage Language In The United States, Research And Practice Contributor(s): Roca, Ana (Editor), Colombi, Cecilia M. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0878409033 ISBN-13: 9780878409037 Publisher: Georgetown University Press OUR PRICE: $59.35 Product Type: Paperback Published: April 2003 Annotation: An increasing number of U.S. Latinos are seeking to become more proficient in Spanish. The Spanish they may have been exposed to in childhood may not be sufficient when they find themselves as adults in more demanding environments, academic or professional. Heritage language learners appear in a wide spectrum of proficiency, from those who have a low level of speaking abilities, to those who may have a higher degree of bilingualism, but not fluent. Whatever the individual case may be, these heritage speakers of Spanish have different linguistic and pedagogical needs than those students learning Spanish as a second or foreign language. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Foreign Language Study | Spanish |
| Dewey: 468.007 |
| LCCN: 2002014712 |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 6.04" W x 9.16" (0.94 lbs) 320 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This volume examines issues in the research, theory, and practice of teaching Spanish as a heritage language in the United States. It addresses questions that have surfaced as an increasing number of Latinos have sought to become more proficient in a language to which they have had some exposure to in childhood but in which they are not fluent. Each chapter includes a section on pedagogical implications. Heritage language learners encompass a wide range of proficiency, from those who have a low level of listening comprehension from hearing their parents speak to those who are nearly, but not quite, bilingual or fully literate in Spanish. These learners have needs that differ from students learning Spanish as a second language with no prior knowledge of it. The members of the AATSP have identified teaching heritage learners as the second greatest area of concern (after proficiency testing). This book was developed (the essays were commissioned for it, not resulting from a conference) in response to a perceived hunger for this kind of information. The AATSP and ACTFL have each published a book on the subject (both in 2000, I think), but not much else is available except for Roca's work and journal articles. Some of the essays (5 of 13) are written in Spanish, which is common practice in collections of essays in the field of Spanish linguistics. |