The Teaching of Minority Languages as Academic Subjects: Pedagogical and Theoretical Challenges

Abstract

This article raises questions about the practice of teaching minority (ethnic/immigrant) languages as academic subjects in multilingual settings and points to directions in which the field of applied linguistics must move in order to develop adequate principles of language learning that can support such instruction. The article consists of three principle sections. Section one defines the term “linguistic minority” and offers examples of linguistic minority populations. Section two describes the teaching of Spanish to bilingual‐Spanish‐speaking students in the United States. It then illustrates the broad problems and questions encountered in teaching minority languages as school subjects by drawing on the discussion of the history, development, and current status of the teaching of Spanish to bilingual minorities in the U.S. Section three proposes a reconceptualization of the language teaching focus within applied linguistics that takes into account the problems and challenges surrounding the teaching of minority languages.

Behaviors and Attitudes of Effective Foreign Language Teachers: Results of a Questionnaire Study

“…During the past two decades, a shift in foreign language teaching from traditional grammar-based approaches to more communicative and interactive approaches has brought new changes in the ways foreign languages are taught. Recent trends in foreign language teaching that reflect these shifts include: communicative language teaching (Lee Q VanPatten, 2003;Nunan, 1989;Savignon, 1998), computer-assisted language learning (Bush Q Terry, 1997;Dunkel, 1991;Lafford & Lafford, 1997;Pennington, 19961, the Standards for Foreign Language Learning (National Standards, 1999), teaching culture (Galloway, 1985;Kramsch, 1993a, 199313;Lange, 1999), content-based instruction (Bragger Q Rice, 1998;Genessee, 1998;Leaver Q Stryker, 1989), languages for specific purposes (Douglas, 1999;MacKay Q Palmer, 198l), courses for heritage learners (Merino, Trueba, & Samaniego, 1993;Reber Q Geeslin, 1998;Valdes, 1995), focus on form in classroom second language acquisition (SLA) (Doughty Q Williams, 19981, and authentic assessment (Hancock, 1994;Liskin-Gasparro, 1996;Moore, 1994;Stansfield, 1994;Wiggins, 1989Wiggins, , 1993Wiggins, ,1994.…”

Toward a Definition of Heritage Language: Sociopolitical and Pedagogical Considerations

“…Among these are the acquisition of literacy, access to the prestige variety, developing academic language proficiency (spoken or written), focus on grammatical accuracy, access to "authentic" cultural norms and values, and so on. Valdés (1995) identified a set of needs for Spanish students dependent on the characteristics of the learner (e.g., newly arrived versus second or third generation; high versus low literacy level): language maintenance, acquisition of prestige variety, development or transfer of literacy skills, and expansion of bilingual range.…”

Shaping the Discourse of a Practice: The Role of Linguistics and Psychology in Language Teaching and Learning

“…However, in general, the U.S.-American FL teaching community, as contrasted with its Canadian counterparts, with the possible exception of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction in the K-12 contexts, continues to this day to be remarkably unattuned to the social context of its work and to specific social issues that relate to the role of language for multilingual and multicultural societies (cf. Bolinger, 1971;Valdés, 1995, and my concluding observations in the present article).…”