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Article published In: Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education
Vol. 6:2 (2021) ► pp.189–213

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Problematizing heritage language identities

Heritage speakers of Mexican descent studying abroad in Argentina

 | California State University, Monterey Bay
 | University of Denver
Published online: 22 September 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.20004.poz
Abstract
Heritage speaker identities have traditionally been a relevant topic of inquiry among scholars of heritage language pedagogy. Nevertheless, there is little research on Spanish heritage language identities in a study abroad context. Additionally, most existing studies on this topic focus on heritage speakers of Mexican descent studying in Mexico (e.g., de Félix, W., & Cavazos Peña, S. (1992). Return home: The effects of study in Mexico on bilingual teachers. Hispania, 75(3), 743–750. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; McLaughlin, R. T. (2001). Perspectives on learning Spanish as a heritage language in Mexico: Four Chicana case studies (Unpublished Master’s thesis). Universidad de las Américas- Puebla, Cholula, Puebla, México.; Riegelhaupt, F., & Carrasco, R. (2000). Mexico host family reactions to a bilingual Chicana teacher in Mexico: A case study of language and culture clash. Bilingual Research Journal, 24(4), 405–421. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). This study examines heritage language identities in a non-heritage context by exploring the experiences of three heritage speakers of Mexican descent studying in Mendoza, Argentina. By focusing on a non-heritage context, we move away from the presumption that all heritage speakers seek to (re)claim a specific ethnic identity through language study (see Leeman, J. (2015). Heritage language education and identity in the United States. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 351, 100–119. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). Instead, our qualitative analysis illustrates the diverse ways heritage speakers in a non-heritage context construct, contest, and negotiate their identities with respect to linguistic awareness, negotiation between varieties, and perceptions of their abilities.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Previous research
    • 2.1Spanish heritage language learners in study abroad
    • 2.2Heritage language identities
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Participants and program
    • 3.2Data collection
    • 3.3Instruments
    • 3.4Data analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Linguistic characteristics of the home and target varieties of Spanish
    • 4.2Case studies
      • 4.2.1Leticia
        • Linguistic awareness of and negotiation between the target and home variety
        • Perceptions of abilities in Spanish
        • Language practices and their relationship to imagined communities
        • Summary of Leticia’s case
      • 4.2.2Juan
        • Linguistic awareness of and negotiation between the target and home variety
        • Perceptions of abilities in Spanish
        • Language practices and their relationship to imagined communities
        • Summary of Juan’s case
      • 4.2.3Cristina
        • Linguistic awareness of and negotiation between the target and home variety
        • Perceptions of abilities in Spanish
        • Language practices and their relationship to imagined communities
        • Summary of Cristina’s case
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Linguistic awareness of and negotiation between the target and home variety
    • 5.2Perceptions of abilities in Spanish
    • 5.3Language practices and their relationship to imagined communities
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Note
  • References
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