Paper short abstract:

Heritage language learning is not only aimed at language ability but also developing communications through an understanding of culture as well as their identities. What does it mean to learn culture? This presentation focuses on cultural knowledge and teaching in a heritage language program.

Paper long abstract:

What is culture? What does it mean to learn culture? How do you come to recognize culture as your own or other's culture? Is there a difference between the cultural knowledge that foreign language learners acquire through the media and various forms of experience, and the culture that heritage language learners ​​learn both from their families and from their heritage language learning? What process do learners go through to "learn" their heritage culture in heritage language learning? Is the culture taught or learned?

Do the learners of Japanese heritage languages see the Japanese culture as an insider or an outsider? And the biggest question that is focused in this presentation is how educators of heritage languages can teach culture.

As a field report of a Japanese heritage language program which is a community program in the United States, this presentation focuses on examining these questions about cultural knowledge in heritage language education. The presenter shares the analysis of differences between The big C Culture and the little c culture that are observed in the classrooms. This presentation shares some classroom ideas on how to facilitate the cultural learning of heritage language learners that educators can provide.