The present study examined the acquisition of Spanish grammatical gender in 22 bilingual children (aged 5;0 to 13;5 years; Med=9;4 years; STD=2.3) who were born and raised in the United States and acquired Spanish as heritage speakers--that is, they learned Spanish, the minority language, in a home setting (Valdes, 2001). Each of the child…

This project explores how the variation in language experiences and attitudes that Mexican American Spanish heritage speaker bilinguals in the United States have affects their speech perception in both their languages. Heritage language bilinguals speak as a first language a minority language that they have cultural ties to (e.g., Spanish in the…

The founding and inception of Coral Way's bilingual program marked the beginning of Miami's multilingual era, as well as the start of modern bilingual education in the U.S. As multilingual and multicultural Miami has evolved, bilingual programming has not remained a priority in the school district. This dissertation study examines how language…

Within the context of postsecondary education, this study explores translation as a model activity for developing a translanguaging approach to remedial writing instruction for linguistically minoritized (LM) learners. Using qualitative methods grounded in discourse analysis and translation studies, bi/multilingual participants (N=5) enrolled in…

This dissertation investigates a typologically rare linguistic phenomenon found in Irish from three different perspectives: how it challenges phonological theory, how it is used by contemporary speakers, and how its written representation affects its acquisition. Initial consonant mutation (ICM), as it appears in the Celtic languages, is known to…

This dissertation investigates shifts in the languages ideologies of four Latina English-Spanish dual language teacher candidates (DLTCs) over four quarters in a Teacher Education Program (TEP) and bilingual endorsement. The goal was to determine whether any ideological shifts aligned with the goals of Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) or…

This critical ethnography examines how the language ideologies of non-teaching staff (NTS) shape language practices in a bilingual PreK-8 school. Recent research on two-way bilingual education reveals the ways that the language ideologies of teachers, administrators, and parents can support the privileging of English in bilingual programs by…

This study examines the language use patterns of students in a math class that is part of a Spanish-English two-way, secondary continuation program. Audio recordings from five class periods were analyzed in order to quantify the opportunities provided for minority language by the teacher, as well as student uptake of those opportunities. This is…

Do assimilationist restrictions on a minority language lead to greater national unity or a more rebellious minority population? Under what conditions might short-term backlash to language assimilation evolve into greater national unity in the long term? While much of the literature on ethnic politics implicitly treats language simply as an…

Culturally responsive leadership and instruction have proven beneficial for racially minoritized student populations. Similarly, linguistically minoritized students benefit from a learning environment that values students' experiences and culture. Connections of students' experiences help support learning through meaningful connection to local…

This dissertation addresses the issue of Slovene/German bilingualism in the province of Carinthia in southeastern Austria. The study examines the relationship between learning Slovene in the home and the ability to speak good German later in life; it is based on research conducted in the bilingual community of Bad Eisenkappel (Eisenkappel) in…

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) is one of the most ethnically diverse territories in China, with the Muslim Uyghurs forming the largest minority group. Given its importance in national unity, stability and economic development, as well as its strategic role in the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese government enacted policies to…

Quechua language education and research has long been relegated to rural areas and elementary schools of the Andes. Nonetheless, current language policy in the southern Peruvian region of Cusco has opened new opportunities for Quechua, a minoritized Indigenous language, to be taught in cities and towns and in high schools. In this sociolinguistic…

The disproportionate representation of English Language Learners (ELL) to special education is widely attributed to the difficulty in identifying a disability through a language in development. This language acquisition or language disorder question has manifested in paradoxical disproportionality patterns for the ELL population. Some…

Previous research examining the reading achievement of immigrant children has often grouped English learners into one broad category, referred to as ELs, thereby creating an "either-or" dichotomy regarding whether or not these students need school language supports. The present study examined the theoretical contention regarding the…