Dictionary

heritage language en · NOUN

Meanings

1. The language of one's ancestors, especially a language one would like to learn.
   • "I thought it was important for the American children to learn their heritage language," Palumbo said. 1973 November 28, “Italian-American Receives Homeland's Award”, in Public Opinion, Franklin Repository, volume 105, number 111, page 22:
2. A minority language that one acquires as a first language but uses and/or is exposed to less later in life in favor of a more dominant majority language.
   • Spanish is considered a heritage language in the United States.

Forms

Coordinates

home language · community language

Relateds

heritage speaker

Translations (17)

cmn 祖裔語 /祖裔语 (a first language used less later in life) · es lengua heredada (a first language used less later in life) · cmn 祖語 /祖语 (a first language used less later in life) · fr langue d'héritage (a first language used less later in life) · es idioma ancestral (the language of one's ancestors) · pt língua de herança (a first language used less later in life) · es idioma patrimonial (a first language used less later in life) · hu származási nyelv (a first language used less later in life) · es idioma hereditario (the language of one's ancestors) · sv arvspråk (a first language used less later in life) · hu örökségnyelv (the language of one's ancestors) · es idioma hereditario (a first language used less later in life) · hu származási nyelv (the language of one's ancestors) · cmn 傳承語 /传承语 (a first language used less later in life) · hu örökségnyelv (a first language used less later in life) · es idioma patrimonial (the language of one's ancestors) · cmn 繼承語 /继承语 (a first language used less later in life)