The Heritage Speaker Dilemma

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Anyone proud of their Hungarian roots is a delightful presence in the Hungarian language classroom. However, when heritage speakers sign up for Hungarian classes, the instructor is often faced with a dilemma. Do we start at zero with these learners and act in class as if they had just as little knowledge of Hungarian as true beginners? Do we adapt the curriculum to heritage speaker needs, thus catering to their higher proficiency, yet risking the intimidation of the rest of the class? Is there a comfortable in-between? And just how proficient exactly is their “higher proficiency”? Is there a way to help them get rid of fossilized bad habits in using the language? Do they profit from materials that are different from textbooks geared towards traditional language learners, or can these books be adapted successfully to their needs? In an era where individualized learning gets more and more emphasis, what are best practices of working with heritage speakers? This presentation, aimed to be interactive with fellow Hungarian instructors, will discuss some methods that have proven useful in classrooms with heritage speakers and invite colleagues to share their experiences, in hopes of a more integrated instruction of Hungarian for heritage speakers in the US and beyond.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Viktoria Batista (Ph.D., German Applied Linguistics, The University of Kansas) has been teaching Hungarian in the US since 2004, including The University's of Pittsburgh's Summer Language Institute. She has been a lecturer at Pitt since 2015, where she is teaching courses in the German and Slavic Departments and rebuilding a Hungarian program.