{"id":887,"date":"2023-04-04T00:54:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T22:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relaxedcuracao.com\/?p=887"},"modified":"2024-07-04T14:44:52","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T12:44:52","slug":"papiamentu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relaxedcuracao.com\/en\/secrets\/papiamentu\/","title":{"rendered":"Papiamentu"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Papiamentu<\/span><\/div>

W<\/span>hen I heard the first sounds of Papiamentu, the language spoken on Curacao, it reminded me of Spanish at first, but then not quite. It sounded softer somehow and when I picked up the word ‘Danki’, it could almost only correspond to our German word ‘Danke’. That’s because Dutch and German have a lot of similarities.<\/p>\n

In fact, several languages have been incorporated into the Creole language Papiamentu. The original inhabitants of Curacao, the Taino, an indigenous Arawak<\/a> people [link quiz question], spoke the eponymous Taino. Over time, as the island was colonized and its history unfolded, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English, and African languages were added.<\/p>\n

The language of the indigenous people<\/h3>\n

Some words from the Taino vocabulary can still be found in Spanish and in our language today. For example, hamaca (Spanish) = hammock, hurac\u00e1n = hurricane, tobaco = tobacco, maiz = corn, caim\u00e1n = caiman\/crocodile, canoa = canoe. We also have the Taino to thank for the barbecue<\/a>: the word barbacoa refers to the method of preparing meat over an open fire on a wooden frame.<\/p>\n

Official languages of Curacao<\/h3>\n

The mixed language Papiamentu is one of the three official languages on Curacao, spoken by everyone who grew up here. Skin color, religion or social class play no role. As the island is an autonomous country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dutch is the official language that everyone has to learn at school. I was a little surprised that English is the third official language and not Spanish, which I would have expected due to the proximity to South America. Our friend Alex said:<\/p>\n

\n

“No problem, if you know Spanish, you can get by anywhere on Curacao.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Language is no problem in Curacao, even if you don’t speak any of the official languages. Dutch people often speak German and everyone you meet understands several languages. The friendliness and openness of the people on Curacao makes communication easy – if necessary, you can use your hands and feet. To this day, we’ve never felt like we weren’t understood or that we failed due to language barriers.<\/p>\n

\"Collage

Papiamentu, the language of the locals on Curacao<\/p><\/div>\n

Papiamento versus Papiamentu<\/h3>\n

The word \u2018papia’ means to speak, from which the language name Papiamentu originated. On Aruba they say Papiamento, on Bonaire and Curacao Papiamentu. And to anticipate discussions: Both are correct. The only difference is that Papiamento in Aruba is more closely related to Portuguese and Spanish. As a result, the endings of words with -o have been kept. On Bonaire and Curacao, most -o endings correspond to an -u. As we\u2019re big fans of Curacao, we write Papiamentu with -u.<\/p>\n

Curacao has a different name here<\/h3>\n

We discovered what the locals call their island in the car. We had switched on the radio<\/a> in our newly rented rental car<\/a>. The displayed frequency was occupied by a local radio station. We kept hearing the word ‘Korsu’ and wondered what it meant. Google told us that Curacao means K\u00f2rsou in Papiamentu.<\/p>\n

Good mood music<\/h3>\n

There are several Papiamentu-language radio stations on Curacao. They play exactly the music that suits the island feeling on Curacao. These are mainly songs in Papiamentu and always present: Latin American and Caribbean rhythms.<\/p>\n

There is a lot of talking on these local stations – you can listen yourself in Papiamentu. The presenters have a blast at work and are always laughing. They create a really good atmosphere.<\/p>\n

We think that cruising around the island<\/a> with music from the local radio stations<\/a> is incomparable. The journey is the destination: pure vacation feeling.<\/p>\n

\"Boat

In Papiamentu, Curacao is called K\u00f2rsou<\/p><\/div>\n

Curacao also known as<\/h3>\n

Curacao is not only called K\u00f2rsou. The island has a bunch of other names, some of them quite figurative, such as:<\/p>\n