Subtractive bilingualism and the survival of the Inuit language: Heritage- versus second-language education

A longitudinal study examined the impact of early heritage- and second-language education on
heritage- and second-language development among Inuit, White, and mixed-heritage (Inuit/
White) children. Children in an arctic community were tested in English, French and Inuttitut
at the beginning and end of each of the first 3 school years. Compared with Inuit in heritage
language and mixed-heritage children in a second language, Inuit in second-language classes
(English or French) showed poorer heritage language skills and poorer second-language
acquisition. Conversely, Inuit children in Inuttitut classes showed heritage language skills
equal to or better than mixed-heritage children and Whites educated in their heritage
languages. Findings support claims that early instruction exclusively in a societally dominant
language can lead to subtractive bilingualism among minority-language children, and that
heritage language education may reduce this subtractive process.