Language and literacy transmission in heritage language: evidence from Russian-speaking families in Cyprus, Ireland, Israel and Sweden

Otwinowska, Agnieszka; Meir, Natalia; Ringblom, Natalia; Karpava, Sviatlana; Morgia, Francesca La

doi:10.1080/01434632.2019.1695807

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Language-external factors shape monolingual as well as bilingual language acquisition in both languages (see Unsworth, 2013Unsworth, , 2014Unsworth, , 2016Unsworth, , 2019De Houwer et al, 2018;Armon-Lotem and Meir, 2019). The effects of various language-external factors have been evaluated in HL development: chronological age, longer period of uninterrupted HL acquisition (as indexed by AoO), greater use of HL at home, the size of the HL community, and current and cumulative exposure to HL predict the success of HL development (e.g., Daskalaki et al, 2019Daskalaki et al, , 2020Rodina et al, 2020;Armon-Lotem et al, 2021;Otwinowska et al, 2021), yet the specific details of the findings vary.…”

Section: Language-external Factors In Child Hl Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research brings robust evidence for the key role of language-external factors for the acquisition of vocabulary in HL and SL, yet, with respect to the acquisition of HL morphosyntactic properties, the findings are less robust. Some studies show that various language-external factors might shape morphosyntactic HL development, while other studies fail to detect the effect of language-external factors (e.g., Daskalaki et al, 2019 , 2020 ; Rodina et al, 2020 ; Armon-Lotem et al, 2021 ; Otwinowska et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Secondly, the study shows a complex picture of HL development emphasizing the importance of HL input/exposure. Previous research showed that the parents of child HL speakers are generally interested in transmitting their HL to their children [see (Otwinowska et al, 2021 )]—they see it as an integral part of maintaining a positive relationship with parents, grandparents, and extended families. Thus, efforts should be made to maintain HL input/exposure.…”

Section: Conclusion Applied Implications and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the term “child HL speakers,” but it should be noted that in previous research, the term “L1 development” in simultaneous or early sequential bilinguals has been used instead [for a detailed discussion on the terminology in HL and child bilingualism research see Kupisch and Rothman (Kupisch and Rothman, 2018 )]. Today, more and more studies use the term “child HL speakers” (e.g., Meir and Armon-Lotem, 2015 ; Cuza and Pérez-Tattam, 2016 ; Daskalaki et al, 2019 , 2020 ; Chondrogianni and Schwartz, 2020 ; Goebel-Mahrle and Shin, 2020 ; Rodina et al, 2020 ; Serratrice, 2020 ; Armon-Lotem et al, 2021 ; Otwinowska et al, 2021 ). Heritage language speakers acquire their HL from birth via naturalistic input, but as adults, they show divergence from the baseline (the language spoken in the country of origin, or the language spoken by the first generation of immigrants who are dominant in this language).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Child Heritage Language Development: An Interplay Between Cross-Linguistic Influence and Language-External Factors

Meir

Janssen²

2021

Front. Psychol.

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The current study investigated the mechanisms of heritage language (HL) development with a focus on case morphology. First, the effects of cross-linguistic influence (i.e., the influence of the properties of the societal language (SL) on the acquisition of the HL) was assessed by performing bilingual vs. monolingual, and between-bilingual group comparisons (Russian–Dutch vs. Russian–Hebrew bilinguals). Russian, Hebrew, and Dutch show differences in the marking of the accusative (ACC) and genitive (GEN) cases, and these differences were used as a basis for the evaluation of cross-linguistic influences. Second, the study evaluated the contribution of language-external factors such as chronological age, age of onset of bilingualism (AoO), languages spoken by the parent to the child (only HL, only SL, both HL and SL), and family language type (both parents are HL speakers, mixed families). Finally, we assessed how language-external factors might potentially mitigate the effects of cross-linguistic influences in bilinguals. Russian-Dutch bilinguals from the Netherlands (n = 39, MAGE = 5.1, SD = 0.8), Russian-Hebrew bilinguals from Israel (n = 36, MAGE = 4.9, SD = 0.9) and monolingual Russian-speaking children (n = 41, MAGE = 4.8, SD = 0.8), along with adult controls residing in the Russian Federation, participated in the study. The case production of ACC and GEN cases was evaluated using elicitation tasks. For the bilinguals, the background data on individual language-external factors were elicited from the participants. The results show that case morphology is challenging under HL acquisition—case acquisition in the HL is impeded under the influence of the properties of the SL. This is evident in the lower performance of both bilingual groups, compared with the monolingual controls who showed ceiling performance in the production of target inflection in the ACC and GEN contexts. More specifically, the acquisition of morphology is hindered when there are differences in the mapping of functional features (such as with Russian-Hebrew bilinguals) and/or the absence of this feature marking (such as with Russian-Dutch bilinguals). But the findings also point to the involvement of language-external factors as important mitigators of potential negative effects of cross-linguistic influence. In summary, HL development is an intricate interplay between cross-linguistic influence and language-external factors.

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Section: Language-external Factors In Child Hl Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conclusion Applied Implications and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Child Heritage Language Development: An Interplay Between Cross-Linguistic Influence and Language-External Factors

Meir

Janssen²

2021

Front. Psychol.

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“…A longitudinal in-depth case study in Israel, which focused on one Russian-Hebrew bilingual family indicated that the parents' attempts to conduct a pre-planned language policy in the family and incorporate specific management strategies may be insufficient, while spontaneous language management and naturally occurring linguistic performance may evoke children's interest in the heritage language (Kopeliovich 2010, 171). A quantitative study by Otwinowska et al (2019) examined family language policy and Russian language and literacy transmission in Cyprus, Ireland, Israel and Sweden. Their research reveals that mothers who speak Russian and multiple other languages at home succeed in transmitting Russian to their children, in other words, it shows a positive correlation between mothers' multilingualism and language transmission.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Families in flux: at the nexus of fluid family configurations and language practices

Vorobeva

2021

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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Research on multilingualism in the home has approached the family as a fixed unit thus neglecting the dynamic view of the family and its intersection with family language practices. The present study aims to address this gap by focusing on Russian-speaking mothers in Finland who have raised their children bilingually in single-parent as well as in dualparent families. Russian speakers are the largest minority language group in Finland, and their number is constantly growing. The current study is a contribution to the research on family language practices in the Finnish context. It examines the nexus of shifts in family configurations and language practices and explores how the dynamic changes in family constellations shape language practices in four families. The study reveals that creating new kinships leads to shifts in the language practices of the peripheral family members and that forming voluntary kin can expand heritage language use and enable an overhearer and bystander role for children. Non-residential family members expand the family's linguistic repertoire and support the legitimacy of already established practices. Being sole caretakers enables mothers to encourage language practices that they consider beneficial for their children without encountering any resistance from other family members.

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Literacy and Heritage Language Learning

Lee

2024

The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics

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The critical role of literacy not only in the transmission of heritage languages across generations but also for the maintenance of heritage languages within generations is undeniable. Heritage language literacy serves different functions for different individuals and their families in unique ways that (re)connect them with life events that have personal, symbolic, or social relevance. Yet, heritage literacy is often the least developed language skill among heritage language speakers. Because heritage language exposure and use are often situated in the home, emphasis in most families is on oral language to fulfill daily communication needs rather than on literacy skills. Moreover, children from families where the parents may not be literate or from cultural backgrounds with strong oral traditions tend to have minimal to no opportunities to develop their heritage literacy skills. Although literacy skills are built upon oral proficiency, purposeful instruction that focuses on literacy is a necessary condition for development. There are limited, but promising educational models such as dual language immersion programs and heritage language community schools as well as broader access to heritage language textual resources via the internet that can support heritage literacy development. However, our understanding of how to effectively foster literacy development for the different profiles of heritage language speakers is still limited. This entry discusses the role of literacy in the learning and maintenance of heritage languages and examines the challenges and the necessary support systems for heritage literacy development, raising awareness for the need for more systematic approaches to heritage literacy education.

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Language and literacy transmission in heritage language: evidence from Russian-speaking families in Cyprus, Ireland, Israel and Sweden

Cited by 22 publications

References 43 publications

Child Heritage Language Development: An Interplay Between Cross-Linguistic Influence and Language-External Factors

Child Heritage Language Development: An Interplay Between Cross-Linguistic Influence and Language-External Factors

Families in flux: at the nexus of fluid family configurations and language practices

Literacy and Heritage Language Learning

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