Page 228 - The Dutch Caribbean Isles
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he dissolution of the Netherlands the Netherlands. and Colombia. Use of English dates to the
early 19th century, when the British took
T Antilles came into effect on 10 October C uraçao is a polyglot society. The official Curaçao and Bonaire. When Dutch rule re-
languages are Dutch, Papiamento, sumed in 1815, officials already noted wide
2010. Curaçao became a country within and English. However, Dutch is the sole use of the language. According to the 2001
the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with language for all administration and legal Census, Papiamento is the first language of
the Kingdom retaining responsibility for matters. The most widely spoken language 81.2% of the population. Dutch is the first
defense and foreign policy. The Kingdom is Papiamentu, a Portuguese creole spoken language of 8% of the population. Spanish
was also to oversee the island’s finances in all levels of society. Papiamento was is the first language of 4% of the popula-
under a debt-relief arrangement agreed introduced as a language of primary school tion, and English is the first language of
between the two. Recent political debate education in 1993, making Curaçao one of 2.9%. However, these numbers divide the
has centered on the issue of Papiamento a handful of places where a creole lan- population in terms of first language and
becoming the sole language of instruction. guage is used as a medium to acquire basic do not account for the high rate of bilin-
Proponents argue that it will help preserve literacy. Spanish and English also have a gualism in the population of Curaçao. Most
the language and will improve the quality long historical presence in Curaçao. Spanish of Curaçao’s population is able to converse
of primary and secondary school education. became an important language in the 18th in at least two of the languages of Papia-
Proponents of Dutch-language instruction century due to the close economic ties with mentu, Dutch, English, and Spanish.
argue that students who study in Dutch Spanish colonies in what are now Venezuela
will be better prepared for the university
education offered to Curaçao residents in
