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Heritage Languages in Germany
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Heritage Languages in Germany

A special issue of Languages (ISSN 2226-471X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2020) | Viewed by 22370

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Tanja Kupisch

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Linguistics, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
2. UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
Interests: child bilingualism; heritage bilingualism; L3 acquisition; syntax; phonology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are planning a Special Issue on Heritage Languages in Germany. Germany is amongst the most popular immigration destinations in the world and it has a long history of immigration. The proportion of migrants in Germany from the total of the population amounts to almost 15%; the most common countries of origin being Turkey, Poland, and Syria. Germany has only one official language, while Danish, Frisian, Romani, and Sorbian are recognized as minority languages. The linguistic diversity is abundant and lends itself to the study of minority language development and acquisition outcomes.

While research on heritage speakers has been on the increase with numerous studies focusing on Romance and Slavic languages (see Polinsky & Scontras, 2019 for the most recent overview), studies on smaller minorities and non-Indo-European languages are under-represented. Moreover, individual contributions typically have a narrow focus, as they are concerned with either syntax, phonology, or vocabulary, and either development or acquisition outcomes. The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the state of the art in linguistically oriented research on heritage languages in Germany in order to identify missing links between different types of minorities, different age group studies, and different linguistic domains. We welcome contributions on immigrant minorities (e.g., Arabic), but also and especially on the indigenous (e.g., Frisian) and national (Danish) minorities. Contributions on languages that are well represented in the literature, such as Russian, Turkish, and Italian, should aim for comprehensive overviews (a focus on phonology, (morpho)syntax, or vocabulary if possible), while studies on lesser-studied languages can be exploratory and programmatic. Squib-like articles (no longer than 4000 words) are especially welcome. Individual contributions may take a formal or empirical approach. They should focus on one language and begin with some demographic information.

Prof. Tanja Kupisch
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Languages is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • syntax
  • morphology
  • phonology
  • national minorities
  • indigenous minorities
  • heritage languages
  • early bilingualism
  • simultaneous bilingualism
  • sequential language acquisition
  • language contact

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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31 pages, 1716 KiB  
Article
Catalan as a Heritage Language in Germany
by Laia Arnaus Gil and Amelia Jiménez-Gaspar
Languages 2022, 7(1), 43; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/languages7010043 - 22 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2974
Abstract
Germany is currently the third country with more Catalan residents mainly characterized as families with children born in Germany but raised with Catalan as heritage language (HL). Only few studies have investigated Catalan as an HL in Germany. Our study tries to fill [...] Read more.
Germany is currently the third country with more Catalan residents mainly characterized as families with children born in Germany but raised with Catalan as heritage language (HL). Only few studies have investigated Catalan as an HL in Germany. Our study tries to fill this gap with spontaneous recordings of 16 bilingual and trilingual children (mean age 5;7). In terms of language competence (measured via MLU), balanced bilingualism is present in most children (44%), followed by those showing a dominance into German (38%). Interestingly, regarding language use (measured in w/minute), both balanced and Catalan dominants were fluent in both L1s similarly, while the German dominant group mostly prefer German. Moreover, the parents filled in a questionnaire on current and cumulative input from which some factors were examined such as family language policies (FLP), child’s language choice to the Catalan-speaking parent, Catalan skills of the non-native parent, family language and frequency of comprehension and production activities. In a nutshell, the results show that FLP and HL as FL or no FL seem to have an impact in the child’s grammatical development in the very early years, as opposed to family language. Children mostly direct their speech in the HL when talking to the Catalan-speaking parent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heritage Languages in Germany)
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18 pages, 466 KiB  
Article
French as a Heritage Language in Germany
by Johanna Stahnke, Laia Arnaus Gil and Natascha Müller
Languages 2021, 6(3), 122; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/languages6030122 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2274
Abstract
Research on child heritage speakers (HSs) has shown successful language acquisition, comparable to monolinguals, whereas research on adult HSs often claims incomplete acquisition. This seems to be an evident contradiction in the current state of research, which may be explained by a possible [...] Read more.
Research on child heritage speakers (HSs) has shown successful language acquisition, comparable to monolinguals, whereas research on adult HSs often claims incomplete acquisition. This seems to be an evident contradiction in the current state of research, which may be explained by a possible language shift during adolescence or adulthood, but which does not necessarily have to be equated with a lack of competence. In an overview of the existing studies on child and adult HSs of French in Germany, we show that HSs are not incomplete acquirers of French and we suggest theoretical and practical implications following these findings. Our aim is to show, first, that HSs of French in Germany are not unanimously disadvantaged compared with French speakers in countries where French is a majority language, and second, that complete acquisition is independent of language dominance, a notion that has received particular attention in studies on multilingual and HL acquisition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heritage Languages in Germany)
26 pages, 1393 KiB  
Article
Word Order in Complex Verb Phrases in Heritage Polish Spoken in Germany
by Bernhard Brehmer and Aldona Sopata
Languages 2021, 6(2), 70; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/languages6020070 - 08 Apr 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2547
Abstract
This paper deals with word order in complex verb phrases consisting of auxiliaries and infinitive complements in heritage Polish. In Polish, infinitive complements normally follow auxiliaries, but discontinuous structures occur if required by the information structure. We investigate the occurrence and evaluation of [...] Read more.
This paper deals with word order in complex verb phrases consisting of auxiliaries and infinitive complements in heritage Polish. In Polish, infinitive complements normally follow auxiliaries, but discontinuous structures occur if required by the information structure. We investigate the occurrence and evaluation of adjacent and discontinuous word order patterns in relation to (a) the chronological age at testing and (b) the age of onset of the acquisition of the majority language, German. Therefore, we distinguish between simultaneous bilinguals (2L1, n = 61), early sequential bilinguals (cL2, n = 41) and an age-matched monolingual control group (ML, n = 50). The data consist of elicited oral narratives as well as acceptability judgments. We found that both 2L1 and cL2 bilinguals differ from the ML, but the difference depends on the age at testing and the type of data (oral production or evaluation). While 2L1 bilinguals show a u-curve development, which is shaped by the interplay of delayed acquisition in childhood and attrition in early adulthood, cL2 bilinguals started to prefer discontinuous structures rather early. Only in adulthood do both groups converge and exhibit an overuse and over-acceptance of discontinuous structures compared to the ML, which is due to cross-linguistic influence from German. However, language-internal factors (such as clause structure) also turned out to impact the distribution of adjacent and discontinuous structures in heritage (and monolingual) Polish. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heritage Languages in Germany)
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17 pages, 620 KiB  
Article
Does Timing in Acquisition Modulate Heritage Children’s Language Abilities? Evidence from the Greek LITMUS Sentence Repetition Task
by Christos Makrodimitris and Petra Schulz
Languages 2021, 6(1), 49; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/languages6010049 - 15 Mar 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2772
Abstract
Recent proposals suggest that timing in acquisition, i.e., the age at which a phenomenon is mastered by monolingual children, influences acquisition of the L2, interacting with age of onset of bilingualism and amount of L2 input. Here, we examine whether timing affects acquisition [...] Read more.
Recent proposals suggest that timing in acquisition, i.e., the age at which a phenomenon is mastered by monolingual children, influences acquisition of the L2, interacting with age of onset of bilingualism and amount of L2 input. Here, we examine whether timing affects acquisition of the bilingual child’s heritage language, possibly modulating the effects of environmental and child-internal factors. The performance of 6- to 12-year-old Greek heritage children residing in Germany (age of onset of German: 0–4 years) was assessed across a range of nine syntactic structures via the Greek LITMUS (Language Impairment Testing in Multilingual Settings) Sentence Repetition Task. Based on previous studies on monolingual Greek, the structures were classified as “early” (main clauses (SVO), coordination, clitics, complement clauses, sentential negation, non-referential wh-questions) or as “late” (referential wh-questions, relatives, adverbial clauses). Current family use of Greek and formal instruction in Greek (environmental), chronological age, and age of onset of German (child-internal) were assessed via the Questionnaire for Parents of Bilingual Children (PABIQ); short-term memory (child-internal) was measured via forward digit recall. Children’s scores were generally higher for early than for late acquired structures. Performance on the three early structures with the highest scores was predicted by the amount of current family use of Greek. Performance on the three late structures was additionally predicted by forward digit recall, indicating that higher short-term memory capacity is beneficial for correctly reconstructing structurally complex sentences. We suggest that the understanding of heritage language development and the role of child-internal and environmental factors will benefit from a consideration of timing in the acquisition of the different structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heritage Languages in Germany)
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12 pages, 526 KiB  
Article
A Four-Year Longitudinal Comparative Study on the Lexicon Development of Russian and Turkish Heritage Speakers in Germany
by Sophia Czapka, Nathalie Topaj and Natalia Gagarina
Languages 2021, 6(1), 27; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/languages6010027 - 06 Feb 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3037
Abstract
Russian and Turkish are the most frequently spoken and intensively investigated heritage languages in Germany, but contrastive research on their development in early childhood is still missing. This longitudinal study compares the trajectories of expressive lexicon development in Russian (n = 70) and [...] Read more.
Russian and Turkish are the most frequently spoken and intensively investigated heritage languages in Germany, but contrastive research on their development in early childhood is still missing. This longitudinal study compares the trajectories of expressive lexicon development in Russian (n = 70) and Turkish (n = 79) heritage speakers and identifies predictors for their lexicon size at preschool age. Heritage lexicon size was tested with two comparable tests assessing the expressive lexicon at four test points between the mean ages of 3.3 (range: 25–49 months) and 5.6 (range: 54–78 months) years. The influence of language-related factors, such as input quantity, parents’ heritage language proficiency and age of onset (AoO) of German, and other potential predictors, i.e., intelligence and socio-economic status, is evaluated. Results show that the Turkish group’s abilities grow slower but are similar at the last test point. Common predictors for lexicon size are input quantity from siblings and AoO. Group-specific influences are parental input quantity in the Russian group and siblings’ proficiency in the Turkish group. Our findings emphasize the interplay of input quantity and society language AoO for heritage lexicon development. The relevance of our results for the usage-based theory of language acquisition is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heritage Languages in Germany)
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16 pages, 922 KiB  
Article
Portuguese as Heritage Language in Germany—A Linguistic Perspective
by Esther Rinke and Cristina Flores
Languages 2021, 6(1), 10; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/languages6010010 - 07 Jan 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2966
Abstract
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the contribution of linguistic research on Portuguese as a heritage language in Germany to the general understanding of heritage language development. From 1955 to 1973, nearly 166,000 Portuguese migrants found work in Germany as so-called ‘guest [...] Read more.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the contribution of linguistic research on Portuguese as a heritage language in Germany to the general understanding of heritage language development. From 1955 to 1973, nearly 166,000 Portuguese migrants found work in Germany as so-called ‘guest workers’ (Gastarbeiter). Because the aim of many Portuguese migrant families was to return to Portugal, their children met relatively good conditions for the acquisition of their heritage language. Nonetheless, second-generation heritage speakers (HSs) show some linguistic particularities in comparison to monolingual Portuguese speakers in Portugal. Based on the results of previous research, we show that the following factors shape the linguistic knowledge of this group of bilinguals: (1) Restricted exposure to the heritage language may cause a delay in the development of certain linguistic structures, (2) deviations from the standard norm may be related to the lack of formal education and the primacy of the colloquial register and (3) heritage bilinguals may accelerate ongoing diachronic development. We argue that apparent effects of influence from the environmental language can often have alternative explanations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heritage Languages in Germany)
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Review

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20 pages, 978 KiB  
Review
Home and School Language Practices and Their Effects on Heritage Language Acquisition: A View from Heritage Italians in Germany
by Irene Caloi and Jacopo Torregrossa
Languages 2021, 6(1), 50; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/languages6010050 - 17 Mar 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3611
Abstract
This paper intends to provide some speculative remarks on how consistency and continuity in language use practices within and across contexts inform heritage language acquisition outcomes. We intend “consistency” as maintenance of similar patterns of home language use over the years. “Continuity” refers [...] Read more.
This paper intends to provide some speculative remarks on how consistency and continuity in language use practices within and across contexts inform heritage language acquisition outcomes. We intend “consistency” as maintenance of similar patterns of home language use over the years. “Continuity” refers to the possibility for heritage language speakers to be exposed to formal education in the heritage language. By means of a questionnaire study, we analyze to what extent Italian heritage families in Germany are consistent in their use of the heritage language with their children. Furthermore, by analyzing the educational offer related to Italian as a heritage language across different areas in Germany, we reflect on children’s opportunities to experience continuity between home and school language practices. Finally, we interpret the results of previous studies on Italian heritage language acquisition through the lens of consistency and continuity of language experience. In particular, we show that under the appropriate language experience conditions (involving consistency and continuity), heritage speakers may be successful even in the acquisition of linguistic phenomena that have been shown to be acquired late in first language acquisition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heritage Languages in Germany)
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