Papiamento | |
---|---|
Papiamentu | |
Native to | |
Native speakers
|
271,261 (1999–2011) |
Portuguese Creole
|
|
Official status | |
Official language in
|
|
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 | pap |
ISO 639-3 |
|
Glottolog | papi1253 |
Linguasphere | 51-AAC-be |
Papiamento (English: /ˌpɑːpiəˈmɛntoʊ, ˌpæp-/) or Papiamentu (English: /ˌpɑːpiəˈmɛntuː, ˌpæp-/) is a West Iberian creole language spoken in the Dutch West Indies and believed to be derived from Portuguese, Judaeo-Portuguese, Spanish, Judaeo-Spanish, African languages, Indigenous languages, English, and Dutch. It is the most-widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands, having official status in Aruba and Curaçao. The language is also recognized in Bonaire by the Dutch government.