Maintenance of immigrant languages has always been a fundamental challenge among Diaspora communities. The Iranian Diaspora in the United States is facing a similar dilemma with the second generation already showing signs of language loss. This paper presents detailed results of linguistic research on Heritage Persian, the language spoken by the younger generation of Iranians, delineating its strengths and shortcomings. The paper then uses these results to propose a language instruction methodology informed by the characteristics of Heritage Persian speakers that can build upon their language intuitions and cater to their specific needs, within the larger context of diglossia and bilingualism found in the Persian community.

Although Persian instruction for the heritage community is fundamental in preventing language loss in the Iranian Diaspora, it will not be sufficient if applied in isolation. A number of factors play a role in language loss including the lack of teaching material for all levels, ideological issues affecting attitudes towards Persian, isolation from the home country, lack of firmly established Persian language communities outside of a few major cities, and parents’ behavior and attitudes. In order for true maintenance to occur, language instruction must be implemented within a strong community of bilingual speakers.

The paper discusses the factors contributing to language loss in the Iranian Diaspora and introduces important measures that, along with heritage language instruction, can contribute to Persian language maintenance in the United States. Even though the main focus of this paper is on the Iranian community, the general linguistic characteristics of Heritage language as well as the language maintenance strategies discussed in this paper can also apply to other immigrant communities in the United States.