Introduction: Spanish as a heritage language in the United States

THE TREMENDOUS GROWTH in the field of Spanish as a heritage language (SHL) at the turn of the twenty-first century is evident in the recent explosion of journal articles, books, master's theses and doctoral dissertations, conferences, and organizations (e.g., Colombi and Alarcón 1997; Webb and Miller 2000; Roca and Colombi 2003). Most of the relevant research, however, has been published in professional journals or volumes of selected conference proceedings. Because of the prominence of Spanish in the United States, it has outpaced other heritage languages in research and has reached a key point where expert synthesis and direction in each of the subfields of research is warranted. The present book is the first single volume to summarize our understanding of the main issues related to SHL in the United States. The content and scope are unique in that this work brings together leading experts to provide a panoramic view of current research trends in the field. This chapter provides current data on Hispanics and the Spanish language in the United States, definitions of Spanish as a heritage language and heritage language learners, and an overview of the content of this volume.