Suriname 50 jaar onafhankelijk: de invloed op de straattaal

This week, Suriname celebrates 50 years of independence. What was the impact of the arrival of tens of thousands of Surinamese people in Amsterdam around that time, and how did Surinamese culture influence the city? In a five-episode series, AT5 examines how both cultures have intertwined in music, food, lifestyle, language, and football. In this episode, we speak with Professor Soortkill about the Surinamese influence on Amsterdam slang. Waggie (car), skeer (arm), patta (shoe), doekoe (money), fatoe (joke), panya (drunk), yusu (serious). These are words most young people in Amsterdam use daily. But where exactly do they come from? Professor Soortkill (slang for "a kind of guy"—he won't reveal his real name) explains: "This slang originated here with influences from Sranan Tongo." Soortkill wrote the Smibanese dictionary, specifically about the slang that originated in Amsterdam's Bijlmer district. SMIB is a reversal of BIMS, a nickname for the Bijlmer district. Reversing words is therefore one of the hallmarks of Simbanese. "For example, I say lichen instead of chillen and lebben instead of bellen." Mutual Influence It wasn't just the arrival of many Surinamese people in Amsterdam around the declaration of independence in 1975 that led to the blending of the two languages, says Soortkill. The influence is mutual and began centuries ago during the colonization of Suriname. "Sranan Tongo originated in a place where people had to live together, but it was Dutch territory, so there are also words that come from Dutch. There are even sayings in Dutch that aren't part of the Dutch language, like 'Ik ga je benken' (I'm going to beckon you), which in Smibanese means: I'm going to explain something to you from my experience." Soortkill believes that the language will continue to blend with other languages. "There's increasing influx of different cultures in Amsterdam: Moroccan, Turkish, or Ghanaian. It starts in daycare; children from different cultures grow up together, and that's how the slang continues to develop. That's how it goes. Isn't it wonderful?" ❌ ❌ ❌ AT5 - Real Amsterdam News Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:    / at5   Tips or comments? Whatsapp: 06 511 909 38 Phone: 020 555 1155 Follow AT5: www.at5.nl Instagram: instagram.com/at5.nl Facebook: facebook.com/at5nl Twitter: twitter.com/at5