PAP ISO 639-3
Papiamentu
Papiamentu Autonym
A language of Curacao
- ISO 639
- pap
- Alternate Names
- Curassese, Curaçoleño, Papiamen, Papiamento, Papiamentoe
- Autonym
- Papiamentu
- Population
- 135,000 in Curacao, all users. L1 users: 115,000 in Curacao (2011 SIL). L2 users: 20,000. Total users in all countries: 343,100 (as L1: 323,100; as L2: 20,000).
- Location:
- Widespread.
- Language Status
- 1 (National). De facto national language.
- Classification
- Creole, Iberian based
- Dialects
- None known. Becoming more like Spanish [spa], which is prestigious. Papiamentu is genetically related to Kabuverdianu [kea] and Crioulo (Guinea-Bissau) [pov] (Jacobs 2009).
- Typology
- Maximum number of prefixes, 2; word order distinguishes subjects, objects, indirect objects; affixes indicate case of noun phrases; verb affixes mark person, number, gender of subject, object, other noun phrase—not obligatory; passives; causatives; comparatives; CVC.
- Language Use
- Importance varies by island. Use of both Papiamentu and Dutch [nld] not considered an indication of lack of education. Dutch use fosters social and political mobility. All domains. Used by all. Also use Dutch [nld]. Also use English [eng]. Also use Spanish [spa].
- Language Development
- First 2 years of primary school. Newspapers. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible: 1997.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Papiamentu
- Writing
- Latin script [Latn].
- Other Comments
- Christian.
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- 1 (National) View other languages of Aruba
Language Name
Papiamento
User Population
60,000 in Aruba (2009 UNSD).
- Location
- Bonaire.
- Language Status
- 1 (National)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Caribbean Netherlands
Language Name
Papiamentu
User Population
8,100 in Caribbean Netherlands (2001 census). 8,060 on Bonaire.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Netherlands
Language Name
Papiamentu
User Population
133,000 in Netherlands (2019).
- Location
- Scattered.
- Language Status
- 4 (Educational)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Christian. View other languages of Sint Maarten
Language Name
Papiamentu
User Population
7,000 in Sint Maarten (2011 SIL).
Map
Location: Widespread.
Size and Vitality
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