What characteristics do heritage and native Spanish-speaking students have?
In the context of the United States, students from Spanish-speaking households are commonly referred to as heritage speakers or Spanish speakers. The language classes provided to these youths in some school districts are often termed as “Spanish for Heritage Speakers” or “Spanish for Native Speakers.”
What is a native or heritage Spanish speaker?
A heritage speaker is generally defined as any student who has a geographical connection to a Spanish-speaking community, regardless of their proficiency level in the language (Potowski, K. 2005). Conversely, a native speaker is someone who grew up in a Spanish-speaking country and has a high level of proficiency due to direct and formal education in the language.
A heritage speaker, on the other hand, was either born in a non-Spanish-speaking country or arrived at a young age, exhibiting various levels of language proficiency depending on their exposure to the language at home or school.
What characteristics do these students have in an academic language learning context?
As mentioned earlier, students in Spanish classes for heritage speakers exhibit diverse levels of language proficiency. Therefore, it is crucial to design courses that effectively address the educational needs of each group of students.
- Students with No Proficiency: These students have limited contact with the culture and no skills in the language.
- Receptive Bilinguals: These students understand the language but cannot produce it orally and have zero literacy skills. Typically, they are third or fourth-generation Hispanics. The greater the generational distance from the migrant ancestor, the more influence of English is evident (Lewelling and Peyton, 1999).
- Continuous Bilinguals: These students possess a range of linguistic skills and communicative strategies that vary depending on the interlocutor, topic, and environment. They may express themselves appropriately in familiar contexts, but their dominant language in academic contexts is English (Valdés, G. 2001). These students need different types of instruction and contexts compared to Spanish as a second language (L2) students, requiring less time to develop language skills.
- Advanced Bilinguals: These students have social and academic language skills similar to native speakers.
- Native Students: These students have a high level of proficiency in all language skills, across various contexts, and can express themselves accurately in different areas of knowledge. They grew up in a Spanish-speaking country.
It is important to note that many of these language differences are due to generational aspects, age, the time they started learning English, or whether their bilingualism began from birth or before the age of three.
These answers address concerns that many language teachers have when assessing the linguistic, cultural, and familial levels of students in Spanish for Spanish speakers courses.
To learn more…
- Reserve consultancy time with Tamborín here.
- Attend the First Conference on Spanish for Native and Heritage Speakers hosted by Tamborín.
Fernando Pabón-Ferro
M.A. Spanish Language and Culture
[email protected]
Tamborín offers courses, materials, and consulting for the development of bilingual Spanish and English programs. Complete the form and receive more information or write to us at tamborinlearning.com