Language planning and policy, law and (post)colonial relations in small Island States : a case study

Language planning and policy (LPP) in postcolonial island states is often strongly (co)determined by the former colonizer's state tradition. Comparable to the examples of the development of LPP in Cabo Verde (Baptista, Brito, & Bangura, 2010), Haiti (DeGraff, 2016), and Mauritius (Johnson, 2006; Lallmahomed-Aumeerally, 2005), this article aims to illustrate and explain in what way the current situation of the dominance of Dutch in governance, law and education in Aruba (and Curacao) can only be explained through path dependency and state tradition (Sonntag & Cardinal, 2015) in which, time and again, critical junctures, have not led to decisions that favour the mother tongue of the majority of the population (Dijkhoff & Pereira, 2010; Mijts, 2015; Prins-Winkel, 1973; Winkel, 1955). In this article, three perspectives on LPP in small island states are explored as different aspects of the continuation of the former colonizer's state tradition and language regime. The first part will focus on the (non-)applicability of international treaties like the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) on the challenges of small island states. The point will be made that international treaties, like the ECRML, do not (currently) provide sufficient basis for the protection of languages in former colonial islands and for the empowerment of individuals through language rights. The second part explores the meaning of fundamental legal principles and specific demands, deduced from international treaties. The point will be made that the structure of the Kingdom of the Netherlands brings with it several limitations and obstacles for the autonomous development of LPP. The third part will focus on the way in which current Aruban legislation reflects the dominance of Dutch in governance, the judiciary and education. While bearing in mind that choices for legislation on language for governance, the judiciary and education are rooted in very diverse principles, a critical reading of existing legislation reveals an interesting dynamic of symbolic inclusive legislation and exclusive practices through language restrictions that favour the Dutch minority language. Recent research, however, demonstrates that law/policy and practice are not aligned, as such creating an incoherent situation that may call for a change in legislation and policy

Lengua, cultura y literatura en el Caribe y en Surinan

In Nederland en Vlaanderen wordt Nederlands gesproken. Wat we echter vaak vergeten is dat op verschillende andere plaatsen in de wereld Nederlands ook een belangrijke rol speelt. Door de handelspolitiek van de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie en de Verenigde West- Indische Compagnie in de Gouden Eeuw (17de eeuw) hebben Nederlandse handelaars op verschillende plaatsen in de wereld handelsposten gevestigd en gebieden veroverd. De grootste daarvan was natuurlijk Indonesië (VOC) in het oosten, in het zuiden vestigden Nederlandse avonturiers een handelspost in wat later Zuid-Afrika zou worden, maar ook in het westen werden een aantal gebieden verworven. In sommige van deze landen zijn de sporen van de Nederlandse kolonisatie nog duidelijk merkbaar in taal, literatuur en cultuur. In dit artikel schetsen we de huidige taalsituatie aan de hand van de historische ontwikkeling van de gebieden Suriname, de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba, vervolgens gaan we in op twee literaire verschijnselen: het antagonisme tegenover de kolonisator in postkoloniale romans en de identiteit van de schrijver in postkoloniale romans.Dutch plays an important role in administrative and social life in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, where Papiamiento is the mother tongue of the native population, and in Suriname, with its mix of languages and population groups. The intention of this paper is to describe the social standing of the language with the help of some examples. Although Dutch is the mother tongue of only a minority of the population, a Dutch speaking literary tradition does exist in Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. Depending on where they come from, writers in these areas are split into passing travellers, colonisers, local authors and emigrants. With the help of fragments by some of these writers, this paper describes a snapshot of the contrasts between Europe and the Caribbean.El neerlandés es la lengua que se habla en los Países Bajos y en Flandes, pero no sólo se habla neerlandés en esas zonas geográficas. El neerlandés juega un papel importante en la vida administrativa y social de las Antillas neerlandesas y Aruba, donde el papiamento es la lengua materna de la población autóctona, y en Surinam donde se entremezcla con otras lenguas y grupos de población. La intención del presente artículo es la de describir la posición social de la lengua con la ayuda de algunos ejemplos. El desarrollo turístico y la inmigración procedente de países hispanoblantes crea una mezcla de lenguas interesante. Los cambios sociales provocan que se necesite un enfoque más detallado en la utilización de la lengua neerlandesa en el campo de la educación y de la administración. Tampoco se debe escapar a nuestra atención la presencia de otras lenguas extranjeras como el inglés y el español. Por otro lado, el neerlandés conoce en Surinam una expansión que se ve reflejada entre otros por la entrada de Surinam en la Nederlandse Taalunie y el creciente aumento de nativos. Pese a que el neerlandés es la lengua materna tan sólo de una minoría de la población, existe una tradición literaria neerlandófona en Surinam, las Antillas neerlandesas y Aruba. Los escritores de estas zonas, dependiendo de su procedencia, se dividen en viajeros en tránsito, colonizadores, autores locales y emigrantes. Con ayuda de los fragmentos de algunos de estos escritores se expondrá una imagen de los contrastes entre Europa y el Caribe

Language Making of Creoles in multilingual postcolonial societies

This article investigates Language Making processes in multilingual postcolonial societies where Creole languages are spoken. It raises the question whether or not Language Making in these settings differs from other contexts given the historical preconditions and social, economic, or political inequalities which persist after the colonial period. The paper discusses the potentials of Language Making to support or impede efforts of decolonization. With the help of examples from several Creole-speaking societies, it shows different approaches to conceptualizing Creole languages as linguistic entities with the creation or emergence of norms, different naming strategies or through language policy and planning. It examines the potential contribution of different agents of Language Making and illustrates cases in which Language Making is countered or languages are un-made. As a conclusion, the article shows that the concept of Language Making may need further expansion or nuancing in order to avoid a “Northern” or “Western” bias

Internal communication at the University of Aruba

This contribution describes a study of internal communication at the University of Aruba. The consultancy focused on bottlenecks in internal communication strategies and practices as well as the employees’ experiences and expectations. Interviews and participant observation allowed for an analysis of the use of communication channels, which led to the conclusion that the communication challenges faced by the institute seem to have originated from the growth of the organization rather than from the multicultural society of which it is a part. Changes in organizational culture can have an important impact on communication