heritage learner

[ her-i-tij lur-ner ]

noun

1. a person who is studying a language used by their family which they did not fully acquire in childhood because of the limited contexts of their exposure to it:

   Some heritage learners of Arabic may already be comfortable speaking but seek classes to learn to read and write.

Word History and Origins

Origin of heritage learner¹

First recorded in 1985–90 as heritage language learner