Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A creole based on Portuguese and pidginized Spanish and spoken in the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A Creole language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Papiamentu papia, talk, probably from Portuguese papaguear, papear, to chatter, from papagaio, parrot.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Papiamentu.

Examples

  • I also loved that English is widely spoken in addition to Dutch, Spanish and your local Creole dialect, Papiamentu -- that mixes Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese, English and West African.

    Lauren DiMarco: Curacao: A Hidden Secret, But Not for Long Lauren DiMarco 2011

  • I also loved that English is widely spoken in addition to Dutch, Spanish and your local Creole dialect, Papiamentu -- that mixes Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese, English and West African.

    Lauren DiMarco: Curacao: A Hidden Secret, But Not for Long Lauren DiMarco 2011

  • I also loved that English is widely spoken in addition to Dutch, Spanish and your local Creole dialect, Papiamentu -- that mixes Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese, English and West African.

    Lauren DiMarco: Curacao: A Hidden Secret, But Not for Long Lauren DiMarco 2011

  • I also loved that English is widely spoken in addition to Dutch, Spanish and your local Creole dialect, Papiamentu -- that mixes Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese, English and West African.

    Lauren DiMarco: Curacao: A Hidden Secret, But Not for Long Lauren DiMarco 2011

  • If Curaçao had a soundtrack it would be Papiamentu, the island's Creole language, said to be a hybrid of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English and West African dialects.

    NYT > Home Page 2011

  • Most of Curaçao's newspapers publish in Papiamentu.

    NYT > Home Page 2010

  • Of 30 or so radio stations here, nearly all broadcast in Papiamentu.

    NYT > Home Page 2010

  • Papiamentu evolved from a Portuguese-based lingua franca once used in West Africa, developing further in the 17th century when Curaçao was an entrepôt for South America's slave trade and a cosmopolitan Dutch outpost settled in part by Portuguese - and Spanish-speaking Jews.

    NYT > Home Page 2010

  • "While English and French Creoles get more attention, the extension of Papiamentu into different domains like writing, education and policy is incredibly high," said Bart Jacobs, a

    NYT > Home Page 2010

  • Now the novel is being translated into Papiamentu by Lucille Berry-Haseth, a Curaçaoan poet.

    NYT > Home Page 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.