World · North America · 5 hrs ago
Learning an ancestral language can strengthen family and cultural ties
Some people with immigrant ancestry are learning languages spoken by earlier generations to reconnect with their family’s roots.
The effort can help them understand family letters, speak with relatives abroad and hear stories and songs with their original meaning.
Heritage language learners often heard the language at home as children, though some start learning with little or no knowledge.
They may understand more than they can say, or feel embarrassed about making mistakes.
Experts say learners do not need to speak perfectly to make progress.
They suggest asking relatives for stories and practising with podcasts, music, films and videos in the language.
Learning can strengthen family bonds and preserve traditions, while also helping learners develop cultural identity and, for some, career options.
Some descendants of immigrants learn an ancestral language to strengthen ties to family and cultural heritage.
Language skills can help learners understand family letters and history, connect with relatives abroad, and appreciate stories and songs in their original form.
Some parents also want to pass an ancestral language to their children to preserve traditions and build intergenerational bonds.
Experts say heritage-language learners may have early familiarity with a language but feel hesitant to speak because they fear making mistakes.
Listening to relatives, music, podcasts, and subtitled films can offer ways to learn and practice.
- Who
- English-speaking children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of immigrants, as well as adults with family ties to another language.
- What
- They learn or pass on an ancestral language to reinforce family and cultural ties.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- The article discusses learners in the United States and connections to ancestral homelands.
- Why
- To nurture cultural identity, preserve family traditions, understand family history, and build intergenerational bonds.
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- Tanya Ivanova-Sullivan
- Associate director of the National Heritage Language Resource Center at the University of California, Los Angeles
- Arturo Diaz
- Executive director of the UCLA Center for World Languages
- Yang Xiao-Desai
- Professor of Chinese at San Francisco State University
- Learning methods
- Relatives, podcasts, music, and subtitled movies and videos
- Language learners
- Heritage-language learners often heard the language at home as young children
What people are saying
Heritage language speakers are home chefs
So just remove any apprehension you may have in learning language and then just have fun with the experience
Ask your grandparents for stories