heritage language

English

Noun

heritage language (plural heritage languages)

  1. The language of one's ancestors, especially a language one would like to learn.
  2. (linguistics) A minority language that one acquires as a first language but uses and/or is exposed to less later in life in favor of a more dominant majority language.
    Coordinate terms: community language, home language
    Spanish is considered a heritage language in the United States.

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