The heritage language self-assessment guide is a 10-question quiz that estimates your proficiency across four domains: home vocabulary, academic vocabulary, professional vocabulary, and abstract concepts. Heritage speakers have a unique profile that standard CEFR tests don't always capture well.
Self-Assessment Quiz
Question 1 of 10Your Heritage Language Profile
Recommended Focus Areas
How to Use the Heritage Language Assessment Guide
Heritage language speakers have a unique linguistic profile that differs from both native speakers and traditional language learners. This assessment helps you identify your strengths and gaps across four key domains.
The Four Assessment Domains
Home vocabulary covers words and phrases from family life — food, family relationships, household items, emotional expressions. Most heritage speakers score highest here. School/academic vocabulary covers subjects, instructions, and concepts used in educational settings. Professional vocabulary covers formal settings, work, business, and bureaucratic language. Abstract concepts covers philosophy, politics, ethics, and complex emotional nuance — the most challenging domain for heritage speakers.
Acting on Your Results
If academic vocabulary is your weakest domain, focus on graded readers and textbooks in your heritage language. If professional vocabulary is weak, listen to news podcasts and read business content. If abstract concepts are challenging, explore podcasts on current events, philosophy, or social issues in the language. Heritage language learning responds particularly well to extensive reading and listening in formal registers.
FAQ
Is this heritage language assessment free?
Yes, completely free with no signup required. All questions and scoring run locally in your browser.
What is a heritage language?
A heritage language is a language spoken at home or in the family community that differs from the dominant societal language. Heritage speakers typically have strong listening comprehension and oral skills from childhood but weaker literacy and formal register from reduced schooling in the language.
How is a heritage speaker different from a standard language learner?
Heritage speakers typically have: strong informal register (family vocabulary), natural pronunciation, emotional connection to the language, but gaps in formal/academic vocabulary, literacy, and professional register. Standard L2 learners have the opposite profile — good formal grammar but weak informal fluency.
What CEFR level do most heritage speakers fall at?
Heritage speakers typically range from A2 to C1 depending on how much the language was used in childhood and whether any formal schooling occurred. Many fall at B1–B2 for oral skills but A2–B1 for literacy. This asymmetry makes standard CEFR testing less accurate for heritage speakers.
What are the four domains in this assessment?
The four domains are: Home vocabulary (food, family, household), School/academic vocabulary (subjects, instructions, concepts), Professional vocabulary (work, formal settings), and Abstract concepts (philosophy, politics, emotions). Heritage speakers typically score highest in the first domain and lowest in the last.
What should I do after the assessment?
Focus study efforts on your lowest-scoring domain. If home vocabulary is strong but academic vocabulary is weak, use graded readers and news articles to build formal register. If abstract concepts are the gap, try podcasts on current events, philosophy, or documentary content in your heritage language.