Everybody knows that learning a foreign language is no trouble at all — for young children, that is! Some experts actually place toddler abilities at genius levels during this special time. Still, no one has ever heard of a child knowing a foreign language out of the blue with no real exposure!
One special little boy in the middle east has shocked the world with his sudden knowledge of English — in a British accent. His parents from the Druze tribe only speak Arabic, and they are as confused as anyone else!
After saying nothing until age 2, young O'Neal Mahmoud suddenly started sharing phrases — "Oh my goodness" and "Oh dear" — and no one knew where he learned them!
According to some experts, O'Neal sounds like a Pakistani child from South London, but this cutie has never been there! Where did he get this unique accent? How did he even learn English in an Arabic-speaking environment?
This bizarre case has led some people to say he must be reincarnated. What is really going on here, people?
Read on to find out more about lil' prodigy O'Neal!
Druze Who?
First of all, who are the Druze people? The middle east is full of nationalities that few outside the region hear about. O'Neal claims membership in this tribe, even if he does not currently speak age-appropriate Arabic.
The Druze faith is actually quite secretive, but most people in the middle east are aware of its existence. At least 800,000 adhere to a monotheistic religion based on the combination of ideas from caliphs and Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle.
Sounds interesting! Does the name O'Neal come from the religion, you ask?
Nah, turns out the parents were big fans of Shaquille O’Neal in the NBA! Let's find out more about where these undercover Shaq fans actually live today.
All Over the Map
The mysterious Druze are found in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel for the most part. Because they are a minority religion in all of these places, they have generally adopted a philosophy of patriotic loyalty to the governments where they live. Smart strategy!
Druze social customs are pretty different than the Muslims, Jews, or Christians in the region.
While differences can often be a source of war or persecution in this part of the world, the Druze seem to be doing well as minorities. For the most part, they enjoy life in their own communities, and it is hard for outsiders to get socially involved.
In the case of O'Neal's family, home is currently northern Israel — The Golan Heights, specifically. Bet you've never heard of it!
Hebrew, Arabic, English?
In Israel, the Druze have decided to integrate partially into wider society. They have mastered the Hebrew language on top of their native tongue to voluntarily serve in the army, reaching high ranks.
English is spoken widely in Israel for business, but not in the village amongst friends and family. And O'Neal had barely left the house yet!
If the toddler had somehow picked up a lot of Hebrew, the family might have been less surprised. After all, it's all over TV on a daily basis! How did he achieve British English, really?
Baby Genius
According to the family, O'Neal was assessed to have the level of English of a native speaker! The Israeli Department of Education and the maternal care program held a joint meeting to study the gifted 3-year-old. This conclusion was downright shocking!
What are his pre-school classmates even doing these days? Hanging out in English, we think not! How was that affecting lil' O'Neal socially?
Reincarnation Rumors
The family was totally confused. Was he a reincarnated Londoner? No one else in the town of Majdal Shams had any explanation! It was time to call the news, and grandma decided to reach out on Facebook.
The tech-savvy granny invited producers to the village: "I'm a grandmother from the Golan Heights. We have a grandson who does not speak Arabic. He speaks British English, as his mother tongue. I wanted to consult with you...I can send movies if you’d like.
He is three years old, from Majdal Shams. After entering nursery school he began to have social interactions and to speak Arabic. He sometimes feels lonely and is not expanding his relationships. He only feels comfortable when he finds an English speaker."
Did national TV have any interest in this sweet, confused boy?
There's an App For That
The boy’s humble parents were more hesitant to bring in media than grandma, but they did allow cameras into their home to tell the story. When the crew arrived, O'Neal was happy to speak English with them and seemed very friendly!
The family revealed that they have had a great deal of trouble communicating with the boy, using google translate at times! O'Neal has an aunt in college now, and she also helps with English communication.
The family has struggled to teach him rudimentary Arabic, and it has been painful! Grandpa even revealed he pretends to understand the youngster, but it's totally untrue. Will anybody have an explanation for this puzzle?
Medical Mystery
Obviously, the first thought people might have is that O'Neal has just been watching a whole lot of TV. According to his family, however, this is not the case at all!
His family fears that he will have a lot of difficulties integrating into his own town, and they sent him to a Druze kindergarten with a teacher that knows English.
Sadly, he has had a big problem communicating with Arabic-speaking children. The family says: "He speaks, but he speaks like the king of England.” Not a big asset in the middle of Majdal Shams, so far!
Brain Busters
One theory floated to explain this phenomenon is something called xenoglossy. That's a fancy word, but what does it mean?
Evidence of xenoglossy is really anecdotal at this point, but it describes a situation where a person suddenly speaks a different language out of the blue.
Sometimes this happens after a head injury, but it is theorized that this only occurs because the person really learned the language decades ago. Is this relevant to explain a 3-year-old's sudden knowledge? Not at all! Next theory, please.
Experts Weigh In
Dr. Khaloub Qa’awar is an Israeli speech therapist and clinical linguist in Arabic. She spent hours with O'Neal and concurred that his level of English was native level, on par with a British toddler. His Arabic? Not even close!
Bringing in a second opinion, she invited neurologist Keren Ben Itzhak to comment on this most unusual situation. Keren said that she had never, ever encountered a similar case. What to do now, when even the top experts are confused?
Born Again Brit
One nurse who had dealt with the tricky toddler decided the only rational explanation was reincarnation. Yes, a dead soul born into a new body again. That kind of thing!
She explained: "For a person who believes in it, it’s just one more bit of proof out of many that reincarnation exists. And for someone who doesn’t believe and sees O'Neal and hears him, it undermines everything they believe in…It’s as if all of sudden you have something right in front of your eyes that you see and hear and you have no explanation for, no logical explanation for it, as of now. Unless someone finds something. It undermines."
Is this idea consistent with the local Druze religion? Tough to say, because the older generation holds onto the spiritual tradition — and they don't formally teach outsiders!
Natural vs. Supernatural
This theory even convinced the director of education in Majdal Shams! After the official met with O'Neal, she came away believing in reincarnation for the first time.
She stuttered in disbelief: "I don’t have another explanation. I’m convinced now, from my conversations with him. It’s something that you…I never encountered it.
I never encountered a phenomenon like it, I don’t know anything else like it. There’s something about him that’s like an adult. If you saw him, his language, what he talks about…He’s like an adult, not like a boy. The first time I met him, he wasn’t like a two and a half-year-old boy."
The director said she thinks he has the soul of a dead person from England. But does anyone out there have other theories? This is getting spooky!
Doctor's Orders
Dr. Keren Ben Yizhak had some comments about language acquisition when faced with this case.
She explained: "It’s sometimes enough to have a figure who is not necessarily the dominant figure in the home. In other words, in the Ministry of Education, in any setting that is…in which the boy has some frequent exposure to this person who will expose him to English. And that could trigger a process like that."
According to the doctor, there had to be some source of initial exposure. But who could that possibly be in this small village? Time to check with the neighbor!
Neighborly Knowledge
Dr. Keren instructed the documentary crew to search for a source in the village. As it turns out, a man named Wajdi who lives next door once lived in London! They discover that O'Neal had indeed interacted with the neighbor. Mystery solved?
Not so fast — Wajdi claims that the boy tried to get close to him because he understood English already!
He explained: "Listen, I’ve been teaching my children English for a long time and they don’t know a fraction of what he speaks. They know words, you know, frog, camel, lion, things like that, sun… Even his accent is better than mine. I forgot my English. Listen, I haven’t spoken English since ’99."
Thwarted again! What on God's green earth is going on here, people?
All Arabic Ahead
In the end, no professional diagnosis so far has been able to explain the bizarre case of 3-year-old O’Neal Mahmoud.
Now, the Druze community sees him as a symbol of proof in the concept of reincarnation! As much of an honor that this might be for the boy someday, the present has many non-esoteric challenges. In the here and now, O'Neal still can't talk to anyone his age in town!
Science will search for explanations for years to come, but his parents are very worried about his social development during the formative years. They are less fascinated by theories about his former British identity than other observers. They simply want him to be happy and healthy!
With no plans to leave their deeply familiar hometown, O'Neal is going to have a big, big task ahead of him. Learning Arabic sounds even harder than English! The world is rooting for you, young man. Or should we say — old soul?