Languages of Aruba

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On the Caribbean island of Aruba, there are many languages spoken. The official language is Dutch, and schools require students to learn both English and Spanish. French and, to a lesser extent, Portuguese are also present on the island. However, Arubans also speak a local creole language known as Papiamento, according to the Government of Aruba^[1] an Afro-Portuguese Creole.

Dutch has been the official language of the island for years as the island is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but Aruba has recognized English as an international language, and has required that children learn English as early as the 4th grade. Aruba's location off the coast of South America has also made Spanish extremely important. Students begin learning this as early as 5th grade.

Papiamento is a creole language with roots mainly from Portuguese, and to a lesser extent, from Dutch and English, and originated in the 16th century as a means of communication among slaves and slave drivers.

This native language was not considered important on Aruba until 1995 and was officially included in school curriculum in 1998 and 1999. Since, the island has embraced Papiamento, a Papiamento dictionary and fairy tales written in Papiamento are now available on the island.

[edit] Selected Aruban Papiamento Phrases

Papiamento	Spanish	Portuguese	English
Bon dia	Buenos días	Bom dia	Good morning
Bon tardi	Buenas tardes	Boa tarde	Good afternoon
Bon nochi	Buenas noches	Boa noite	Good night
Bon bini	Bienvenido	Bem vindo	Welcome
Danki	Gracias	Obrigado	Thank you
Ayo	Adiós	Adeus	Good-bye
Pasa un bon dia	Tenga un buen día	Passa um bom dia	Have a good day
Con ta bay?	Cómo estás? Cómo le va?	Como está/vai?	How are you?
Mi ta bon	(Yo) Estoy bien	Eu estou bom	I am fine
Cuant'or tin? Cuanto ora tin?	Qué hora es/son?	Que horas tem/são?	What time is it?
Mi por papia Papiamento	(Yo) Puedo hablar Papiamento	Eu posso falar Papiamento	I can speak Papiamento
Si	Si	Sim	Yes
No	No	Não	No
Aruba ta bunita	Aruba es bonita	Aruba está/é bonita	Aruba is beautiful

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Ethnologue report for Aruba

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