This Digest considers language learning as a socio-cultural process, contending that to fully function in a particular language, one not only needs to understand the mechanics, such as the grammar, but also to apply that language across various contexts, audiences, and purposes. The Digest discusses language learning at home, language learning in communities, and language learning among linguistic minority children. It emphasizes that it is through meaningful interaction with others as well as functional use in daily life that children develop competence, fluency, and creativity in language. The Digest points out that with the increasing number of linguistic minority children in the United States, school systems need to take into consideration the linguistic knowledge these minority children possess in their mother tongues to design a conducive learning environment. (NKA)