Arabic Heritage Learners Abroad: Language Use and Identity Negotiation

Although research demonstrates the influence of identity negotiation on language learning for both heritage learners and study- abroad students, there is little research on the experiences of heritage language learners studying abroad in their ancestral homelands (Petrucci 2007). This article focuses on the experiences of language learners of Arab heritage studying Arabic in Egypt. It describes the various ways in which they used Arabic and English abroad, and how they negotiated identities as heritage learners, Arabs, and Egyptians in ways that both helped and hindered their opportunities to gain access to local social networks and use Arabic.