Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education - Volume 8, Issue 2, 2023

This special issue highlights current research on topics related to linguistic and identity development of heritage language learners (HLLs) who participate in study abroad programs. With the steady increase of study abroad, it is becoming more common for HLLs to study in the country of their heritage or in one where the heritage language is spoken. The issues and challenges faced by HLLs often differ from their second language counterparts. While research on the linguistic development of HLLs abroad is increasing, much work remains. This introduction will highlight the importance of researching HLLs abroad, the growing amount of research conducted on HLLs, and identity work on HLLs abroad. In addition to these topics, several ideas are provided for future research on HLLs abroad. Following this, the articles in the special issue are presented, emphasizing how they contribute to the topics presented in this introductory section.

Research on heritage speakers abroad constitutes a growing field. Of particular interest is linguistic accommodation by heritage speakers in Spain. Previous work suggests that such accommodation may be affected by participants’ social networks and Spanish fluency. Most work, however, has not directly examined interactions with local peers, nor has it considered participants’ receptiveness to Spain as a possible factor. This study analyzes the linguistic choices of four heritage speakers in interaction with Spanish peers at the midpoint of a semester-long program in central Spain. Spain was the desired destination of two participants, while the other two would have preferred Latin America. However, all showed minimal accommodation. Receptiveness to Spain does not seem to explain their choices; rather, their language use in interaction was likely driven by their identity stances and their desire to create relationships of either closeness or distance with their particular Spanish interlocutors.

This case study examines the pragmatic development of address forms of a US-based Spanish heritage speaker of Mexican descent, Juan, during an 11-week abroad program in Argentina. Instruments included a background questionnaire, a pre/post-written elicitation task, four interviews, and 16 naturalistic recordings during host family dinners and service encounters. Findings indicate that Juan decreased his use of vos on elicitation tasks and did not use vos at all in naturalistic recordings. There was an increase, however, in his metapragmatic awareness, or his understanding of the ways variable forms index social meaning, specifically regarding address forms. These results were related to Juan’s bicultural identity construction, investment, and evolving withdrawal from or participation in the host community. This study highlights the importance of triangulating elicited and naturalistic data with qualitative information and moving away from appropriate-based models that compare heritage speakers’ pragmatic choices to those of monolingual native speakers.

Drawing on previous research showing the centrality of pre-departure interventions in the success of a study abroad (SA) program and on a translingual practice framework (Canagarajah, 2013), the current study addresses the implementation of a pre-departure conversation exchange between peers from diverse racial/ethnic/cultural/linguistic background as an integral part of a four-week SA program in Spain. Reflections and survey data were collected from a mixed group of SA participants, both second language learners (n = 14) and Spanish heritage speakers (SHSs; n = 4), as well as from their SHS conversation partners (n = 5) to determine: (a) the perceived goals and challenges of the mixed SA cohort for studying abroad; (b) the perceived benefits of the pre-departure conversation exchange with SHSs on SA learners’ performative competence; and (c) the perceived benefits for SHS conversation partners on their identity formation, heritage language maintenance, and agency.

Focusing on four Chinese heritage speakers seeking internships while studying in China, this ethnographic multi-case study reveals how their linguistic ideologies can shape their life and work abroad. Drawing upon the theory of language ideology, findings show that heritage speakers were perceived as model Chinese speakers in the classroom, and their bilingual upbringing was also considered an asset by Chinese multinational companies. While the bilingual identity afforded them initial access to internship opportunities, in the workplace they were assigned language tasks (e.g., translation) rather than responsibilities aligned with their academic training. As this distribution of labor foregrounds heritage speakers’ bilingual identity, it places them into the peripheral role as language service providers in the corporate realm. By describing these perplexing experiences, our results provide a more nuanced understanding of heritage speakers’ experiences abroad and unpack the linguistic expectations and implications for those who seek internships while studying abroad.