It’s interesting how the people around you often have a subtle impact on the way you talk, in both accent and phrases.

I remember back when I was in elementary school, I went to a camp where all of the kids in my group started their sentences with “Dude”. “Dude, wanna get some food?” “Dude, come check this out!” I really never used “dude” that often, but after only 2 weeks with this group, I found my language changing and become more and more like the group’s, as if we were all coming to an equilibrium.

It even happens with accents. Spend time in the South with a Jersey accent and you’ll find yourself unknowingly adjusting your accent ever so slightly in order to sound more like your peers. It’s an interesting phenomenon and shows just how much of an impact your peers can have on you, even when it comes to language.