Acceptability judgments in moribund heritage languages: Mitigating the challenges

Abstract

Acceptability judgments are a frequently used method across linguistic disciplines, including heritage language linguistics. However, it has been argued that the method is not suitable for this population. This paper reviews the concerns that have been raised about acceptability judgments and presents two case studies that use judgment data from moribund Germanic heritage languages. These illustrate the strengths and obstacles of the method and offer insights for the productive use of acceptability judgments with heritage language speakers.