2 university students discover they have more in common than they thought just by saying 8 words.
Even our languages want us to get along.
History has a funny way of showing the present day what's up.
That's what happened when these girls got together for a little experiment.
Image via Annenberg Media.
One was a native Arabic speaker. The other was a native Spanish speaker. Both girls were students at University of Southern California.
Their classmates, who'd clearly noticed some subtle alliance between the Arabic and Spanish languages, decided to do a little experiment.
So they sat the ladies down and had them say a few Spanish and Arabic words at the same time. The results were ... verrrrry alliance-y:
GIFs via Annenberg Media.
Sounds just about like the exact same word!
Oops, they speak the same language! <3
There was a time in Spanish history where Arabs, Jews, and Christians were co-existing pretty peaceably ... and sharing a lot of culture to boot. Yes!
The southern part of Spain, known as Andalusia, was mostly ruled by Arabic speakers from around 710 to 1492. Christians and Jews lived in towns ruled by Muslim leaders.
While Christians and Jews weren't exactly on the same level as the leaders, they were able to co-exist fairly well. They worked together, studied together, learned together.*
*Except for the women, probably. But that's another story altogether! We're talking about 710 here.
And nowhere was that tenuous alliance and sharing of culture more evident than in the architecture of the time. If you look at the history of Granada, one of the main cities of Muslim Spain, you'll see architectural evidence of cultures mingling. Just look at the buildings: beautiful Muslim palaces on mountainsides, Spanish architecture below.
Picture by ME!
Religions able to exist together in the 700s?! IN SPAIN? Like, Spanish-Inquisition Spain?!
No one expected that, huh?
GIF via "Monty Python."
Least of all these two classmates.
And thanks to this amazing little language experiment, there's more evidence of a golden age of harmony and cultural exchange.
Because Arab folks, or Moors as they were called, lived in Spain for so long, the Arabic language had a huge influence on the pre-existing Spanish.
That's why there's so much shared culture, hidden inside words like "sugar," "music," and "PANTS"!
I love how harmony is hiding underneath the surface of something as basic and fundamental as language.
Harmony and commonality is all around us. We just have to let it in!
Hear the commonality for yourself here:
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."