Sociolinguistic Artifacts

This video shows two young women comparing some of the most commonly used words in Arabic and Spanish. Approximately 9% of the Spanish language is thought to have derived from Arabic due to the Islamic invasion of Spain by the Moors in 711. Through this invasion, we have the two languages mixing and creating what is modern day Spanish. You can hear the similarities between the two languages, and visually see how the Romanized spelling of Arabic looks like Spanish. I would also consider this code switching, because the words are first introduced in English, and then a count of 1, 2, 3 is given for each girl to say the word at the same time. It also shows the concept of mutual intelligibility with some words, and a modern-day proof of how the Spanish language was assimilated into what it is now from Arabic, because the Spaniards acquired words and syntax of their captor's language. You see how each girl and speakers of either language can understand what the other is saying without any type of special prior knowledge.