Languages of Aruba

There are many languages spoken on the Caribbean island of Aruba. The official language is Dutch although schools require students to learn English, Spanish, French, and to a lesser extent, Portuguese which is also spoken on the island. According to the Government of Aruba the mother tongue and primary vernacular of almost all Arubans is a local language known as Papiamento,^[1] an Afro-Portuguese Creole language spoken since 16th century. The language however was not widespread in Aruba till the 18th and 19th centuries when most materials on the island and even Roman Catholic schoolbooks were written in Papiamento.

Dutch has been the official language of the island for years as the island is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba has recognized English as an international language, and has required that children learn English as early as the 4th grade. Since May 2003 Papiamento has also been officially declared as the official language, alongside Dutch. 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 language with roots mainly from Portuguese, and to a lesser extent, from Dutch, Spanish and English. It originated in the 16th century as a means of communication among slaves and slave drivers.

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

Selected Aruban Papiamento Phrases

Papiamento	Spanish	Portuguese	Dutch	English
Bon dia	Buenos días	Bom dia	Goedemorgen	Good morning
Bon tardi	Buenas tardes	Boa tarde	Goedemiddag	Good afternoon
Bon nochi	Buenas noches	Boa noite	Goedenacht/Goedenavond	Good night
Bon bini	Bienvenido	Bem vindo	Welkom	Welcome
Danki	Gracias	Obrigado	Dank u/Dank je	Thank you
Ayo	Adiós	Adeus	Tot ziens	Good-bye
Pasa un bon dia	Que tenga un buen día	Passa/Tenha um bom dia	Fijne dag	Have a good day
Con cos ta? (Informal) Con ta bai? (Formal)	¿Cómo estás?/¿Cómo te va?	Como está/vai?	Hoe gaat het?	How are you?
Mi ta bon	(Yo) Estoy bien	(Eu) Estou bem	Met mij gaat het goed	I am fine
Cuant'or tin?	¿Qué hora es?/¿Qué horas son?	Que hora tem?/Que horas são?	Hoe laat is het?	What time is it?
Mi por papia Papiamento	(Yo) Puedo hablar papiamento	(Eu) Posso falar papiamento	Ik spreek Papiaments	I can speak Papiamento
Si	Sí	Sim	Ja	Yes
No	No	Não	Nee	No
Aruba ta bunita	Aruba es bonita	Aruba é bonita	Aruba is mooi	Aruba is beautiful

References

1. "Language" - Government of Aruba (official site) - 2010

External links

• Ethnologue report for Aruba