Papiamentu (the language of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao – The ABC Islands) has often times been looked at through either solely linguistic or sociolinguistic lenses, however, there is a shortage of scholarly work addressing the polyfunctionality of the language. In this paper, I examine the resilience of Papiamentu and the roles its speakers have assigned it throughout history. Speakers of Papiamentu thus, utilize the language to demarcate social communities and to challenge and/or renegotiate their respective identities. From a marginalized language in its beginnings to a Language of Instruction (LOI) in its current status, I explore which factors contributed to which shifts and how speakers of Papiamentu have used, and continue to use, this language as an identity marker.
RESUMEN Papiamentu, e lenga dje Islanan ABC (Aruba, Boneiru, Kòrsou) mashà bia tabata ta opservá solamente ku un lèns lingwístiko òf sosiolingwístiko, sin embargo, no tin hopi trabou eskolar ku ta trata e polifunshonalidat di e lenga. Aki, mi ta eksaminá e resistensia di Papiamentu i e papelnan diverso asigná pa su papiadónan através di e historia. Papiadónan di Papiamentu, asina, ta utilisá e lenga pa marka grèns entre komunidatnan sosial i pa reta i/o renegoshá su identidatnan respektivo. Di un lenga marginalisá na su kuminsamentu te un Lenga di Instrukshon (LDI) na su státus koriente, mi ta eksplorá kua faktornan a kontribuí pa kua kambionan i kon e papiadónan di Papiamentu a huza, i ta sigui huza, e lenga aki komo markadó di identidat.