Spanish as a Heritage Language (SHL) is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to highlighting the emerging body of scholarship surrounding the field of Spanish as a Heritage Language. SHL is a forum for sharing innovative ideas, research, and practical experiences from diverse areas of research, all pertaining to the overarching theme of heritage speaker bilingualism.
SHL is copublished by the University of Florida Press and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies at the University of Florida. We are currently accepting submissions for our forthcoming issues.
Current Issue
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): Special Issue: "Heritage Speakers of Spanish Abroad"
Published: 2026-07-24
Articles
Communicative Competence and the Acquisition of Variation by Heritage Speakers Abroad
Main Methods, Principal Findings, and Future Directions
14–38
AbstractThe acquisition of variation abroad has informed learner development of communicative competence, composed of grammatical, sociolinguistic, and...
Language Use and Social Networks of Spanish Heritage Speakers Abroad
39–64
AbstractThis study examines how Spanish heritage language learners (HLLs) use language and form social networks during study abroad (SA) in Mexico....
Pragmatic Markers in L2 and Heritage Learners
Is There a Study Abroad Effect?
65–88
AbstractThe use of pragmatic markers (e.g., bueno, pues, o sea) are essential to shape the discourse, manage the conversation...
Reimagining Study Abroad
Identity (Re)negotiation, Peer Interaction, and Cultural Exchange for Spanish Heritage Speakers
89–113
AbstractStudy abroad (SA) programs have traditionally focused on cultural and linguistic immersion for students from dominant cultural groups, but...
The Study Abroad Experiences of Heritage Spanish Speakers
114–136
AbstractThis qualitative study investigated the study abroad experiences of U.S.-based undergraduate heritage speakers of Spanish who studied abroad in...