What languages are taught as heritage languages in the United States?
Heritage language teaching takes place in many different instructional settings — in community-based programs, public and private K-12 education, and higher education. In part, because different program types and organizations are involved, there are no current, comprehensive studies that list all of the languages taught as heritage languages in the United States. Further, factors such as immigration and education policies have an impact on which languages are taught in addition to where and how they are taught. This FAQ gives information about languages taught as heritage languages, gathered through the program profiles collection of the Alliance for the Advancement of Heritage Languages, and offers a brief discussion of some of the social and political factors that affect the availability of heritage language instructional opportunities. Languages represented in the Alliance’s Online Collection of Heritage Language Program Profiles include: Languages indigenous to the U.S.: Chinuk W
Heritage language teaching takes place in community-based programs, public and private K-12 education, language camps, and higher education. Although there are no current, comprehensive lists of all of the languages taught as heritage languages in the United States, languages represented in the Alliance’s Heritage Language Programs Database include • Languages indigenous to the U.S.: Anishinaabemdaa, Chinuk Wawa, Denaakk’e Athabascan, IchCinshKiin, Navajo • Latin American and European Languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian • East Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Island Languages: Chinese, Hindi, Ilokano, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Samoan, Tibetan, Tongan, Urdu Read the Heritage Brief.
