Origins of a Creole

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The study explores the origins of Papiamentu, a Caribbean creole language, challenging existing hypotheses and offering new interdisciplinary evidence. It posits that Papiamentu is genetically linked to Portuguese-based creoles from the Cape Verde Islands and Guinea-Bissau, influenced by the arrival of native speakers to Curaçao in the 17th century. The research highlights a significant relexification process towards Spanish, while maintaining original phonological, morphological, and syntactic features. This work aims to establish new standards in creole studies and contact linguistics.