Introduction - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 20

Language
Dutch is the official language, but most residents prefer to
converse with one another in Papiamento , the local lan-
guage. However, most people are also fluent or conversant in
English and Spanish, and many also speak French and
Portuguese.
Papiamento (also spelled Papiamentu) is especially interesting to lin-
guists because it is spoken at all levels of society, while most Creole lan-
guages are used mainly by the lower classes. Also, Papiamento is a
recognized language with a large vocabulary and formal grammatical
structure, whereas the pidgin or patois spoken on many Caribbean islands
is a diminished language with a limited lexicon and simple syntax.
Did You Know? In the Papiamento language, the
word papia is a verb meaning “to speak.” The ending
or suffix -mento is the method of making a verb into a
noun. So, Papiamento means “a way of speaking.”
Most linguists think Papiamento derived from Afro-Portuguese pidgin.
This theory traces the language to Africa during the 15th century when
invading Portuguese gathered natives into colonies along the west coast.
The Africans spoke native dialects of their individual villages rather than
a common language, so they began to converse in a mix of African and Por-
tuguese words in order to understand each other and their conquerors.
In 1634, the Dutch defeated the Spanish on Curaçao, and in 1641 they
overpowered the Portuguese in Africa. Soon afterward, they began ship-
ping pidgin-speaking natives from Dutch strongholds in Africa to their
Caribbean port on Curaçao. The Africans were held on the island, where
Arawak was still spoken by some of the Indians, until they were sold as
slaves to Spanish- , French- , and English-speaking plantation owners in
the Americas and throughout the Caribbean.
It isn't difficult to understand how this international entanglement of peo-
ple might need to invent a new language. Thus, Papiamento is a well-
organized mix of Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, English, and French, with
hints of Arawak and African inspiration.
Today, residents of the ABCs use Dutch for official business and govern-
ment dealings, but Papiamento is widely spoken and often used in news-
papers, public signs, songs, and literature. Small variations in spelling
and vocabulary exist between the islands, and the language is still being
standardized, but anyone who understands Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese,
English, or French will grasp many familiar words.