Take Action: Share Your Story

Your story is extremely important. It helps us accomplish our goal of archiving the experiences of heritage language speakers in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of protecting heritage languages.

To tell your Story, simply follow the steps below:

  1. Read the HLSP Consent Form to ensure you want to participate.

  2. Read the questions below and think about them. You can print out the questions and write down notes about them.

  3. When you are ready, take a video of yourself talking about your heritage language. Don’t worry about editing your video, we can do this. If you prefer to to write your story, you can do so too.

  4. Upload your video through the upload form or text your video to 805-699-8794. Alternatively, send your written story to us.

  5. You will receive an email thanking you for the submission within 48 hours.

How to tell your story:

Talk about your heritage language, what it means to you, your history of using it, and your feelings about it. You can just talk freely about your experiences. If you feel you want more guidance, below is a list of some questions you could address. It is not necessary to address all of these questions, they are just listed here as an optional guide to stimulate your thinking. Responses are typically 1 to 2 minutes in length (video responses) and a quarter to half a page (written responses).

Optional questions to consider:

  1. What is/are your heritage language or languages and what is the dominant language in your social environment (country/geographic area)? 

  2. Who spoke the heritage language in your home and from what age were you exposed to it? How did you use the language with the family member(s)? Could you describe a typical day in terms of how you used the language with the family member(s)?

  3. Did your parents or other family members have expectations about your use of the heritage language or languages? If so, what were these and how were these expectations expressed to you?

  4. Did you know other people in your community that had the same heritage language or languages? If so, were there many who spoke it? How often did you meet them? What language or languages did you use with them when you met them?

  5. Did your feelings about your heritage language or languages change as you aged? If so, how? 

  6. Did you have different feelings about or comfort level with using your heritage language or languages within the home versus outside of the home?

  7. Was your heritage language or languages supported at school or in your community? Was it offered as a language class in school or through some other organization, such as a religious group or community group? If so, did you take any of these classes? If not, why not?

  8.  Do you feel affiliated with the heritage language country or countries? If so, how did this affiliation develop? For example, do you watch the country play sports, do you read a newspaper from this nation, do you keep in touch with family from the country, etc.?

  9. How proficient are you in your heritage language or languages today? How does this make you feel?

  10. Looking back, how has your heritage language or languages helped/supported you? How has it hindered you?

  11. Regardless of your proficiency in your heritage language or languages, what does it mean to you today?  Do you want to improve your skills and continue to use it?

  12. Do you have any messages or recommendations you wish to share with other heritage language speakers?