Language use, language attitudes, and identity in Aruba: Is Aruban Papiamento under threat?

This study investigates the language situation in Aruba, a Caribbean island that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The main home language in Aruba is Papiamento, a Spanish/Portuguese lexifier creole, but Dutch was the only official language for centuries. English and Spanish are also widely used due to immigration, tourism, and the media. Carroll (2009, 2010, 2015) observes that Papiamento has high vitality, but also signals that speakers think that the language is under threat due to the increase in the use of English and Spanish. The aim of this study is to examine to what extent Ca... Mehr ...