HERITAGE SPANISH SPEAKERS IN THE US

There is no doubt that the number of Spanish speakers in the US is rising. According to the 2016 U.S. Census Bureau, there are currently an estimated 59.8 million Hispanic people in the United States, comprising of 18.3% of the population. It is estimated that by 2050, the United States will have 138 Million Spanish speakers.

With the growing number of Spanish-speakers in the US on the rise, we find that most Spanish speakers only learned the language at home but end up having Spanish become a secondary language to English because English would be the language used in their daily life outside their home. These speakers are known as heritage speakers.

What is a Heritage Speaker?

When talking about heritage speakers (or heritage language), we refer to someone who has learned a language informally, usually from their homes, which is different from the dominant language in the country they live in. For example, if the speaker grew up in a household that spoke Spanish but lives in the US, then that person is considered a heritage speaker. The term heritage speaker can also refer to the child of an immigrant family who decided to switch from their first language to speak the dominant language of their new community.

Most heritage speakers have different levels on how they communicate in their heritage language. Some can speak and write their home language with no problems; while others may have full oral fluency but have trouble writing. Furthermore, most heritage speakers only achieve the ability to read and write in their dominant language and these skills are not always transferable to their heritage language; especially if the heritage language uses a different writing system than their dominant one.

Heritage Language Learning in the US

Heritage speakers, especially heritage Spanish speakers, want to improve their Spanish for several reasons. For example, they may want to connect better with their culture and understand where they came from. They may also want to be more confident in speaking in their Spanish communities or even to their own families. Many immigrants' parents also enroll their children in heritage language learning schools to help them maintain connections to their cultures and languages.

Heritage Learning Programs are slowly becoming popular. Heritage language schools are usually created because of a community’s desire to pass on all things to do with their culture from one generation to the next. Heritage Languages of America states that the programs may be at any level or setting and are split into the following categories of learning:

1) Community-based

Community-based schools or programs are organized privately rather than within the public education system. Community heritage programs may all vary depending on elements such as funding and materials used, but according to the Center of Applied Languages, they are all common because they are organized by members of the community such as families or even churches.

2) K-12

According to the Center of Applied Languages, the K-12 level is complicated as many schools do not always identify or support heritage language programs. Spanish however is lucky enough to one of the languages that have many programs in school districts across the US.

3) Higher Education

The Center for Applied Languages states that heritage language programs in higher education have different classes for students with a home background in their language of study.

Final Thoughts

As said before, Spanish in the US is becoming an increasingly popular and important language for the country. This means that we will have more heritage Spanish speakers from Hispanic households who will find themselves seeking to improve their language skills and be more orally confident and connect more deeply with their family’s culture.