This book investigates the nature and evolution of heritage languages from a language contact perspective. The authors, Ad Backus, Pieter Muysken, and Suzanne Pauline Aalberse, examine these non-dominant languages, often spoken by individuals who also speak the dominant language of their country, considering their history, structural properties, and interactions with surrounding languages. The book draws on extensive scholarly attention to heritage languages, linking academic concerns with practical educational issues. It explores how these languages change due to their unique status and provides insights into bilingual language use, processing, and specific case studies like Papiamentu.

The book is presented as a scholarly examination of heritage languages, focusing on the theoretical framework of language contact. It aims to bridge academic research with educational applications, suggesting a text intended for linguists, language educators, and students. The inclusion of co-authored chapters on specific topics like bilingual use and processing indicates a collaborative and detailed approach to the subject matter. The focus on real-world examples like Turkish in Berlin and Spanish in Los Angeles suggests an effort to ground theoretical discussions in tangible linguistic phenomena.