Heritage Languages and Linguistic Diversity: Psycholinguistic and Sociolinguistic Perspectives

In a bilingual or multilingual context, heritage languages—typically minority or minoritized languages—often become the first or one of the first languages. Despite their limited exposure, heritage languages have a significant impact on the linguistic landscape. Compared to standard grammar, they frequently exhibit structural differences and changes at all levels of linguistic analysis, reflecting the interplay between the nature of the language, the input received, and the age of bilingual speakers.