heritage learner

American  

[her-i-tij lur-ner] / ˈhɛr ɪ tɪdʒ ˌlɜr nər /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of heritage learner

First recorded in 1985–90 as heritage language learner