Papiamentu: a Spanish-base creole?

Abstract

As the origin of Papiamentu is still a controversial subject among scholars, the aim of this article is to discuss a possible Spanish genesis of this Caribbean language (see Maduro, 1965; Rona, 1970; Munteanu, 1999, among others), contributing to discussions about its origin and its lexifier language. From the analysis, it is observed that the hypothesis of a Spanish Creole has several controversial points. In the more general context, there are no Spanish-based creoles in the Atlantic region because of the very characteristics of its colonization. Specifically as regards Papiamentu, there are also questionable points, such as the role attributed to natives and the continuity in the use of Spanish on the Caribbean Island. In the linguistic context, the items of Portuguese origin are part of the functional lexicon and are quite old in the language, which shows that it is not possible to attribute a minor importance to the influence of Portuguese. In summary, it is concluded that, although Spanish has influenced the formation of Papiamentu (defending an Portuguese-Spanish basis for the language), it is not possible to consider that this Caribbean language derived from Spanish. Other elements are necessary to explain the genesis and development of this language.