Aruba Languages

Description
The official languages of the Caribbean island-state of Aruba are Papiamento and Dutch, but most Arubans speak a minimum of four languages, including English and Spanish.
 * Schools require students to learn English, Spanish and to a lesser extent French.
 * According to the Government of Aruba, the mother tongue and primary vernacular of almost all Arubans is Papiamento
 * In the 18th and 19th centuries, most materials on the island and even Roman Catholic schoolbooks were written in Papiamento.
 * Dutch is the sole language for most administrative and legal matters

Papiamento is a Creole language that evolved from Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, some French, English, and a smattering of African languages. Papiamento was not considered important on Aruba until 1995. It was officially included in the school curriculum in 1998 and 1999. Since then, the island has embraced this native language. A Papiamento dictionary and fairy tales written in Papiamento are now readily available on the island.

Word List(s)
Selected Aruban Papiamento phrases

Papiamento
 * Useful Papiamento phrases (Omniglot)

Dutch
 * Dutch Genealogical Word List
 * Useful Dutch phrases (Omniglot)

Spanish
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Useful Spanish phrases (Omniglot)

Portuguese
 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Useful Portuguese phrases (Omniglot)

Alphabet and Pronunciation
Papiamento
 * Papiamento Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)
 * Papiamento Alphabet and Pronunciation (Wikipedia)

Dutch
 * Dutch Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)
 * Dutch Alphabet and Pronunciation (Wikipedia)

Spanish
 * Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)
 * Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation (Wikipedia)

Portuguese
 * Portuguese Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)
 * Portuguese Alphabet and Pronunciation (Wikipedia)

Language Aids and Dictionaries
Papiamento
 * Papiamento to English Dictionary (Glosbe)
 * Papiamento for Beginners (unilang)

Dutch or Netherlands
 * Netherlands Handwriting
 * Dutch to English Dictionary (Glosbe)
 * Learn Dutch in 5 minutes a day (duolingo)
 * Introduction to Dutch (Future Learn)

Spanish
 * Spanish Letter Writing Guide
 * Spanish Handwriting Clarified
 * Spanish to English Dictionary (Glosbe)
 * Spanish Records Extraction Manual
 * The Spanish Documents Script Tutorial
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial

Portuguese
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Portuguese dictionary (WorldCat)
 * Portuguese to English Dictionary (Glosbe)

Additional Resources

 * Aruba Language Guide
 * Aruba Language (Visit Aruba)
 * Aruba History, Language and Culture (World Travel Guide)