Datapoint Papiamentu/Geographic variation: morphosyntax
Kouwenberg (1990) points out that Aruban speakers prefer a lexical subject awa 'water' with the verb yobe 'rain', where Curaçaoan speakers prefer a null subject. Other, minor, differences between the two varieties can be noted. For instance, the use of e [3SG] as resumptive pronoun for plural reference expressions, as documented in Dijkhoff (1983c), appears to be less acceptable for Aruban speakers. Also, Aruban speakers are more likely to place the mood marker lo after a pronominal subject, where the prefered usage is for it to precede a pronominal subject in Curaçaoan Papiamentu. It should be noted, though, that these observations remain anecdotal, and have not been researched.
