Call for Papers - Heritage Language Week 2027

Dear Colleagues,

the Frankfurt Heritage Language Week is travelling this year and will take place from 23 to 25 February 2027 at the Saarland University (Saarbrücken).

On the occasion of the International Mother Language Day, the language centres of Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and Goethe University Frankfurt are pleased to announce the seventh Heritage Language Week on the theme “Languages Build Bridges: Connecting Diversity, Shaping the Future” for students, teachers, researchers and administrators.

The event is organised in cooperation with the Saarland Ministry of Education and Culture, Saarland University, the Language Centre of Saarland University and the Sprachenrat Saar.

We invite all teachers, researchers and administrators in the field of heritage languages to submit proposals between 1 July and 30 September 2026 for presentations, workshops and poster presentations. Contributions should align with the overarching theme of the event and address teaching and/or research in the field of heritage languages.

Aims and Concept

The Heritage Language Week aims to raise awareness of heritage language education and promote networking between practice, research and educational policy. Central to the event is the question of how languages can build bridges between educational sectors and between institutional and societal actors.

The event is structured as a good-practice exchange, enabling participants to discuss methods and techniques in heritage language teaching and to share experiences.

Thematic Focus

We particularly welcome contributions that engage with questions of networking in the context of multilingualism and heritage languages and that address one of the following thematic areas:

1. Formats and Methods

Which pedagogical approaches offer added value in heritage language teaching (HLT)?
What role do project-based, task-based or CLIL-inspired approaches play?
What potential do digital, and hybrid formats offer?

2. Bridges Between Languages

How can heritage languages be systematically linked with German and other languages?
How can writing and learning strategies be effectively transferred between languages?
How can multilingualism be leveraged as a resource in the classroom?

3. Bridges Between Educational Sectors

How can HLT be integrated with mainstream education (e.g. German, subject-specific teaching)?
Which models of cooperation between heritage language and mainstream teachers are sustainable?

4. Bridges Between Institutions and Stakeholders

How can sustainable cooperation between schools, universities, ministries and other stakeholders be established?
What role do migrant organisations and civil society initiatives play in language education?
How can different perspectives (practice, administration, research) be productively brought together?

5. Federal States and Countries (incl. Proficiency Assessments)

What different models of HLT exist across the German federal states — and what can be learnt from them?
What role do proficiency assessments play in the recognition of heritage languages within educational systems?
What perspectives arise from exchange with other countries
(e.g. France, Luxembourg, Austria)?

6. Research & Practice

Which research findings can be applied to teaching practice in HLT?
What examples of successful cooperation between research and practice exist?
How can evidence-based development in HLT be strengthened?

Submission Formats

Presentations should last approximately 20 minutes, followed by a 5-minute discussion.

Contributions can be submitted in the following formats:

General Sections
You may assign your contribution to a thematic section.
Working languages: German / English
Language-Specific Sections
You may propose a dedicated section for the specific heritage language you work with. To organise such a section, a minimum of three contributions in the same language is required. The final establishment of the section depends on the number of submissions received.
Working language: the respective heritage language or German / English.