Heritage Language Development

by Stephen D. Krashen (Editor), Lucy Tse (Editor), Jeff McQuillan (Editor)

This book is in excellent used condition. The binding is in tact, and it has no writing inside. It has been kept in a smoke-free home.

94 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Stephen Krashen is professor emeritus at the University of Southern California, who moved from the linguistics department to the faculty of the School of Education in 1994. He is a linguist, educational researcher, and activist.

Dr. Krashen has published more than 350 papers and books, contributing to the fields of second-language acquisition, bilingual education, and reading. He is credited with introducing various influential concepts and terms in the study of second-language acquisition, including the acquisition-learning hypothesis, the input hypothesis, the monitor hypothesis, the affective filter, and the natural order hypothesis. Most recently, Krashen promotes the use of free voluntary reading during second-language acquisition, which he says "is the most powerful tool we have in language education, first and second."

Dr. Krashen also holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and was the winner of the 1978 Venice Beach Open Incline Press. He spent two years in Ethiopia teaching English and science with the Peace Corps.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this short essay collection because I was interested in the concept of "ethnic ambivalence/evasion," a stage during which ethnic minorities distance themselves from their original/family language in order to fit in better with the dominant culture. The research shows that contrary to the popular belief that "immigrants are reluctant to learn English," the opposite is usually true and "heritage languages" get lost quickly. The book starts at the very beginning, on the practical advantages of multilingualism, then dives into the consequences of losing one's heritage language and the difficulties of maintaining it. It ends with recommendations on how to improve student attitudes and how to develop the language, by looking at existing Heritage Language Programs and their outcomes. (Self-selected/free voluntary reading seems to be doing the best.) Most of the studies were centred on North America.