New course: Grammars of Heritage Languages

The term “Heritage Language” – also termed “minority language,” “community language,” “home language,” “family language,” “mother tongue,” “L1” – refers to a language that is spoken at home but is not the Majority Language (hereafter ML) of the society. Divergences and innovations observed in HL grammars are suggested to be systematic, but the exact mechanisms of HL formation are the subject of on-going ardent debate in formal theoretical linguistics, psycholinguistics, and neurolinguistics. In the current seminar, we will review linguistic properties of HLs of child and adult bilinguals, and potential mechanisms triggering change in HL grammars.