In addition to the number of speakers, literary productions, and the amount of usage within the communities where it is spoken, a language’s digital presence on the Internet is crucial for its survival. Therefore, it is essential that small language communities, such as Papiamentu, are represented and used online.
Google translate
Creole languages in the Caribbean, including Papiamentu, Haitian Creole, and Jamaican Creole, are accessible via Google Translate, a global platform available to all users. You can explore Papiamentu in Google Translate through this link https://translate.google.com/?hl&sl=nl&tl=de&op=translate. However, you might notice as a user that the translations therein are not always accurate. Words may not follow the official spelling, and translations often fail to capture the correct meaning or context of use. For instance, kòrá is translated as “red” in Dutch, but for kòrá kimá it offers the words “rood verbrand” (“red burned”) instead of the proper translation like “donkerrood” (Eng. dark red) or “rood-bruin” (Eng. red-brown”).
In 2023, the National Language Institute of Curaçao (NLIC) started developing a comprehensive lexical database for Papiamentu. This initiative aims to provide a reliable resource for accurate spelling and usage of the Papiamentu words for Bonaire and Curacao. The technical infrastructure and tools used for the Dutch Language will be used as leverage to tailor to the unique structure of Papiamentu, in order to create an advanced linguistic system for the description of Papiamentu.
Database Content and Development
The database builds on foundational sources such as the Banko di Palabra https://bankodipalabra.com/ (23,958 entries) and Buki di Oro (18,359 entries). Over time, it will incorporate all available Papiamentu dictionaries, including those by Dijkhoff & Vos-de Jesus (1980) and S. Joubert (2007), which contains 32,500 entries. Dictionaries previously published such as Van de Veen Zeppenfeldt (1930), Putman (1859), Van Ewijk (1875), Pijpers (1898), and Jansen (1945/1947), will also be added later to further enrich the database. Collaboration with private lexicographers across the ABC islands such as F. van Putte & I.G.M. van Putte-de Windt (2005, 30,000 entries) and B. Ratzlaff-Henriquez (2008) will be sought to expand the database.
During a work visit to the Netherlands from October 14-18, Ms. Dijkhoff and Ms. Meulens received a training in usage and operational aspects of the database and final arrangements were made to accommodate Papiamentu within the existing structure. Initial efforts will focus on updating Buki di Oro and integrating the list of Papiamentu school words to offer an updated and more comprehensive word repository for Buki di Oro and the Papiamentu Spell checker (Spèlchèk).
Subsequent phases will involve the incorporation of specialized vocabulary for law, medicine, healthcare, tourism, and construction terms. Additionally, the project will develop a comparative corpus used for the description of word meanings in Papiamentu.
During this visit, Marta Dijkhoff the director of the NLIC had a conversation with Raymond Noë (Onze Taal) and Laura van Eerten (Dutch Language Institute). You can listen to a podcast of this conversation via the following link https://ivdnt.org/actueel/nieuws/podcast-het-papiaments.
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