Language Use and Attitudes Toward Spanish in Aruba

Ellen Petra Kester, Zoë de Cuba

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In this chapter, we analyze the results of an online survey about language use and attitudes toward Spanish in Aruba, which is a Caribbean island where the main home language is Papiamento, a Spanish-Portuguese-lexifier creole. Previous studies pointed out that the influx of Latinx immigrants has made many Arubans feel that Papiamento and the Aruban culture are under threat and has increased negative attitudes toward the Spanish language and its speakers. We investigated the extent to which these feelings were corroborated by Aruban participants. The results of our survey pointed out that Papiamento was the most frequently used language by far. Attitudes toward Spanish were rather neutral or even positive, but a slight majority of our participants agreed that Papiamento could lose its importance due to the use of Spanish (and English). Hence, the results of our study indicate that perceptions of language threat concerning an “ingroup” language (in this case, Papiamento) are not necessarily related to negative language attitudes toward an “outgroup” language (in this case, Spanish). Moreover, the findings of our study indicate that knowledge of Papiamento, English, and Dutch, in addition to Spanish, is an important key to the pursuit of social mobility and justice for Latinx immigrants in Aruba.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLanguage Attitudes and the Pursuit of Social Justice
Subtitle of host publicationIdentity, Prejudice, and Education
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Chapter9
Pages163-184
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)9781040154427
ISBN (Print)9781032612577
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Nov 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 selection and editorial matter, Mara R. Barbosa and Talia Bugel.

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