heritage language
English edit
Noun edit
heritage language (plural heritage languages)
- The language of one's ancestors, especially a language one would like to learn.
- (linguistics) One's former native language, lost during childhood or early adulthood, or underdeveloped in favor of a more dominant majority language.
- Coordinate terms: community language, home language
- Spanish is considered a heritage language in the United States.
Related terms edit
Translations edit
the language of one's ancestors
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one's former native language
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Further reading edit
- Heritage language on Wikipedia.Wikipedia