Kick-off of the project “Voices of Heritage Languages”

The SNSF research project “Voices of Heritage Languages” investigates how heritage languages – languages spoken in families and communities but not classified as dominant languages – can contribute to more equitable and inclusive societies. In an era of growing linguistic diversity, schools face the challenge of giving equal value and visibility to all languages spoken by learners and teachers. If certain languages are not recognised in the school context, this can lead to exclusion and unequal educational opportunities.

The three-year project focuses on Heritage Language Education in three multilingual regions: the Swiss cantons of Bern and Lucerne and the autonomous province of Bolzano in Italy. The aim of “Voices of Heritage Languages” is to strengthen heritage languages as a valuable resource for education and social participation. The research aims to provide impetus for more inclusive education policies and teaching practices in the participating regions and beyond in other multilingual societies.

An international team from the fields of sociolinguistics, social anthropology and educational sciences is working with a broad mix of methods, including the analysis of education policy documents, qualitative interviews and art-based activities. 

Special thanks go to the members of our scientific advisory board who are supporting this project: Themistoklis Aravossitas (Trinity College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Anikó Hatoss (UNSW Sydney), Gerardo Mezzaferro (University of Turin), Gabriela Meier (University of Exeter, UK), Hans Karl Peterlini (Alpen-Adria-Universität, Klagenfurt), Ingrid Piller (University of Hamburg), Boglárka Straszer (Dalarna University, Sweden).