Protective Factors for Heritage Language Maintenance: Evidence from Polish Spoken As L2 By 5- and 6 Year-Olds

Barcelona, Spain · May 2026

Posters · Language in Mind: Speech, Reading & Communication

Natalia Banasik-Jemielniak
The Maria Grzegorzewska University
Magdalena Kochańska
The Maria Grzegorzewska University
Julia Gwiazda
The Maria Grzegorzewska University
Marta Szulc
The Maria Grzegorzewska University
Zuzanna Żarska
SWPS University
Aleksandra Araszkiewicz
Varsovia University of Business and Applied Sciences
Gniewko Toruj
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

Abstract

This study examines protective factors supporting Polish as a heritage language among 93 bilingual 5- and 6-year-olds in four countries. Using sentence repetition, standardized language tests, and parent questionnaires, we relate shared book reading, diversity of Polish-speaking interlocutors, and grandparent contact to children’s morphosyntactic and vocabulary outcomes.

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Protective Factors for Heritage Language Maintenance: Evidence from Polish Spoken As L2 By 5- and 6 Year-Olds

Abstract

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