Ronald Severing
(1949) is director of the Fundashon pa Planifikashon di Idioma (Foundation for Language Planning) on Curaçao. Its goals is to promote the relevant languages of the community and to regulate the state of affairs of language. Severing studied Dutch in Nijmegen, sociolinguistics and applied linguistics in Tilburg, and obtained his doctorate with a thesis on literacy and successful teaching on Curaçao. For years he has been working at all levels of education, both in the Netherlands and in the Netherlands Antilles. He is editor of teaching methods of Papiamentu for primary schools on Curaçao, like Mosaiko, Trampolin and Cristal. In addition he wrote about the writers Cola Debrot and Frank Martinus Arion.
(WIN 2005)Share this page
Archive available for: Ronald Severing
-
Great Dicatation in Papiamento/u of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Prolongated because of its success in 2006: the public dictation Papiamento/u. Since March 2007 it is the official language on the Dutch Antilles - so high time to test your knowledge. Participants may choose from Papiamentu, spoken on Curaçao and Bonaire, and Papiamento (Aruba). The FPI (Foundation for Language Planning) from Curaçao will provide the text, together with the writer Sonia Garmers, who will dictate it herself. The Papiamento will be dictated by Sidney Kock, press officer of the Aruba House in The Hague. It is just and fair that old-member of the Council of State Gilbert Wawoe and writer Olga Orman, who did the dictation in 2006, will be subjected to this spelling test. Winternachten provides pen and pencil. A professional jury with Quito Nicolaas and Igma van Putte, led by Ronald Severing of the FPI, will judge the dictations and award the winners with a suitable prize. The dicatation is programmed at the start of the evening. Be on time, full is full.
-
The language conflict - a debate on language policy in Surinam, the Antilles and the Netherlands
With: Drisana Deborah Jack, Frank Martinus Arion, Liesbeth Koenen, Rappa, Ronald Severing, Ruben Severina
Papiamentu, Papiamento, Sranantongo, Sarnami, English, Dutch... The languages of the Antilles and Surinam are under pressure. What is the status of Papiamentu on Curaçao and Bonaire, of Papiamento on Aruba and English on St Martin? And what about Surinam, where Dutch is the official language, but where everybody speaks Sranantongo and the language of the largest group of inhabitants (the Hindustani) is Sarnami?
A strong language policy is missing on the Antilles and in Surinam, and therefore Dutch remains the technical and official language. In the Netherlands the Dutch language is under pressure from the increasing amount of English words that find their way into everyday life and education. Another threat is the growing interest for regional languages. There is no strong language policy in the Netherlands. Is the status of the Dutch language stronger in Surinam and on the Antilles than in the Netherlands? The panel members will discuss this amongst themselves and with the audience. With Liesbeth Koenen (Dutch linguist), Rappa (writer and teacher of Dutch in Paramaribo), Drisana Deborah Jack (poet and artist from St Martin), Ronald Severing (director of the FPI, foundation for language planning on Curacao) and his fellow islander the writer Frank Martinus Arion. Panel chairman is Ruben Severina. Dutch spoken.
-
The Papiamento dictation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
It does not come as a surprise that very few speakers of Papiamento and Papiamentu can also spell in their mother tongue. Although the spelling has been officially established, teaching spelling has only for some years been part of the official school system. In this first public dictation we will evaluate the state of affairs. Visitors to Winternachten were invited to join in: choose Papiamentu or Papiamento and test your knowledge. They needn't worry about the results, only the number of faults that the winner makes was revealed. The prize: a recent copy of the Papiamentu-Dutch complete dictionary (2005). The dictation was put together by the FPI (Foundation for language planning) from Curaçao. Chairman of the jury was the director of FPI, Ronald Severing. Gilbert Wawoe, member of the State Council, dictated the Papiamentu, and children's book writer Olga Orman the Papiamento. You can try your Papiamento and Papiamentu by listening to the dictation on this recording. The correct spelling can been seen in this document (PDF). Dutch and Papiamento spoken.
