RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Olfert, Helena YR 2023 T1 The concept of register in heritage language retention JF Register Studies VO 5 IS 1 SP 52 OP 81 DO https://doi.org/10.1075/rs.20017.olf PB John Benjamins SN 2542-9477, AB Abstract

This paper argues for a greater consideration of the role of register in the retention of heritage languages by analyzing data on adolescent heritage-language speakers in Germany. The study addresses the following question: Which language external factors have the greatest impact on heritage-language retention in the intimate vs formal registers? A questionnaire was filled out by 202 students (age 15–17) in an urban area in Germany, who are all heritage-language speakers of 42 different languages. The major finding of this study is that heritage-language retention is determined by different language-external factors in each register. The fact that different models of heritage-language retention can be postulated for different language registers emphasizes the need to describe the language competences of heritage-language speakers according to registers., UL https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/rs.20017.olf