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Drawing on ethnolinguistic fieldwork in the historically Czech Moravian communities of Central Texas, this article explores an intersection between the Texas Czech folk music tradition and the 'idea' of language projected into and reflective of the shifting definitions and historically motivated perceptions of 'Czechness' and 'Moravianness' among the second-to-fourth generation descendants of immigrants from the Moravian region of 19th century Austro-Hungarian Empire (presently a part of the Czech Republic). The cross-fertilization of the ancestral musical tradition with Texas country and western music reflects he process of ethnic redefintion among the generations of Texas Czechs. Where considerable assimilation of the Texas Czech community has eroded once distinct ethnic boundaries, and where the Texas Czech linguistic variety has lost its ground in day-to-day interactions, cultural performances of Texas Czech polka band help reenact symbolic boundaries of the Texas Czech community in the minds of performers and their audiences and create an environment conducive to heritage language use. Texas Czech folk music thus continues to function as an effective manifestation of the Texas Czech ethnic identity. Keywords: dying languages, ethnic identity, folk music, language maintenance, performance, Texas Czechs

This volume, a product of the First National Conference on Heritage Languages in America, held in Long Beach, California, in 1999, opens with the editors' introduction, followed by fourteen chapters within five thematic sections: “Defining the field,” “Shaping the field,” “Educational issues,” “Research and practice,” and “A call to action.” Together, they make a compelling case for the need to preserve and exploit heritage languages in the US as a national resource. The book provides a comprehensive overview of pressing issues and challenges within the growing field of heritage language (henceforth HL) education, and it successfully demonstrates “why those who are involved in the heritage language movement believe that it is important for the United States to preserve its non-English languages” (5). The volume is intended primarily for “educators, community leaders, researchers, grant makers and policymakers” (5), though its clear, nontechnical language makes it accessible to any reader interested in the subject. Its effective thematic organization, likely to appeal to both novice and expert readers, and its overall coherence, accentuated by ample cross-referencing, testify to careful editorial preparation and suggest the desire of all involved to speak with one voice as they build their case and issue a call for action on behalf of heritage languages in the US.

Cet article fait part de la dimension symbolique et situationnelle de l'ethnicite des Tcheques qui vivent au Texas, Etats Unis. En analysant les donnees issues des interviews et des notes de terrain effectuees dans la communaute tcheque au Texas, l'A. montre comment les Tcheques de Texas renouvellent le sens de leur appartenance ethnique, tout en maintenant les frontieres symboliques de leur communaute. Ces manifestations exterieures de l'identite tcheque, qui pourraient paraitre superficielles et qui sont souvent commercialisees, refletent aussi bien la notion idealisee de leur appartenance que l'orgueil d'avoir le meilleur de ces deux mondes. Ce sont des expressions authentiques de leur culture qui subsiste, malgre les pressions d'assimilation, en la completant par l'usage de leur langue vernaculaire