It’s easy to think of ways English and Spanish differ from each other; a good example is how in English, we always need to include the subject of the sentence (“Iive in Montreal”), whereas in Spanish we can drop the subject (“Vivo en Montreal”).
At the same time, English and Spanish have tons of things in common. For instance, the word “chocolate” is exactly the same in both languages, except for how it’s pronounced! It’s spelled the same way means the same thing in two languages that come from different parts of the world.
Coincidence?
Nope! Actually, the word originally comes from a language indigenous to Latin America. The Spanish picked it up from the natives when they arrived in the region. Allegedly, the Aztecs served a chocolate beverage to Hernán Cortés and his men, having mistaken the invaders for gods and wanting to serve them the best they had to offer. When the conquerors made their way back to Spain, chocolate was one of the New World treasures they brought with them, and it spread through Europe, eventually finding its way into the English culture (and language!) as well.
I love learning about etymology, or the origins of words, because the history of a language is closely linked to the history of the people who speak it. In examining the etymology of the word “chocolate,” we remember the violent conquering of indigenous Latin Americans by the Spanish, and the consequent contact between the Spanish and other European cultures until the word could finally make its way into English.
