Language
Unlike the official language, which is Dutch, the Curaçao vernacular is Papiamento. The name Papiamento is probably derived from the Portuguese word papear which means to speak, and -mento is the suffix used to form a noun. A translation of the word Papiamento would render something like speaking. It is a Creole language taken from Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, Dutch and West African, that is believed to have originated in the 17th century to enable slaves from different regions in Africa and their masters, and the slaves among themselves to communicate with one another.
The Guene-language, the precursor of Papiamento, is presumably the first independent language to have developed from the lingua franca. In the 15th century lingua franca grew into a means of communication along the African West Coast between Portuguese merchants and the different African tribes with each a language of their own. Papiamento is also spoken on the other Leeward Islands, with a different accent.
The oldest document written in Papiamento is a letter from 1775, a message between two members of a Jewish merchant family. In 1802 the British Governor Hughes in a report mentioned the language abroad for the first time. In the 19th century Papiamento was recognized.
Because of the multicultural society on the island, besides Papiamento and Dutch, English and Spanish are also spoken. Unique among other Creole languages primarily spoken in lower classes of society in countries such as Surinam, Haiti, Jamaica and Barbados, Papiamento is the only Creole language that is widely spoken at all levels. It has become part of the identity.