heritage language

American  

[her-i-tij lang-gwij] / ˈhɛr ɪ tɪdʒ ˌlæŋ gwɪdʒ /

noun

1. a language used at home and spoken natively by the adults in a family, but often not fully acquired by subsequent generations whose schooling and other socialization occurs primarily in a different language, usually a dominant or official language in the surrounding society.

   I speak Polish as a heritage language, but I never studied it in school.

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Etymology

Origin of heritage language

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

It was the moment the United States lost what could have been one of its greatest advantages: a rich mosaic of multi-generational heritage language speakers.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

What all of this amounts to is a case study in how society in the 2020s is wrestling with these giant concepts: belonging, identity, lived experience, heritage, language, labels, offence.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2024

That’s the process of adolescents improving their English-language skills while simultaneously losing or failing to develop their heritage language; at the same time, their parents acquire English at a much slower rate.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2023

But Li, like many immigrant parents in Seattle, is eager for his children to stay connected to their heritage language and culture from the other side of the world.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2021

“To mispronounce our heritage language, especially when we know better, is to celebrate ignorance. And we’re in beautiful, smart, enlightened Austin, Texas. We’re better than that!”

From Washington Times • Oct. 19, 2014