u/VerdantChief

Did medieval Spanish absorb new sounds from Arabic during the era when Muslim kingdoms were present in Spain? What are some examples of these?

Which language underwent more changes going from its parent nation to its colony?

Similar to how Christianity was persecuted for a few centuries by both the state and religious authorities, did Buddhism also encounter this type of pushback when it was first introduced into South Asia and beyond?

Did many European languages adopt French terms related to dining, like English did with "restaurant", "chef", "a la carte", and so forth? Or do they have their own versions for these phrases?

I was watching a debate recently with an Eastern Orthodox Christian and he said that the Trinity should be properly understood as God being the Father alone and the Son and Holy Spirit as sharing the same divine essence as the Father. He said that Augustine influenced the Western Church into holding an erroneous view of God by declaring that God is the entire Trinity.

Is he correct here?

What's the deal with double had in English? Every time I read it, I think the sentence would mean the same thing if it used a single "had" instead. Am I wrong here? Is there a significant difference in meaning by doubling it?

Do other languages feature this same duplication of a single verb for an effect other than emphasis?

For me it was a nutritional supplement called "garlique" marketed as anti-inflammatory and cholesterol lowering. The only ingredient in it was, you guessed it, garlic. The price was, of course, astronomical.

Why is Van Gogh's name so difficult to pronounce for non-Dutch speakers, even for other Germanic languages? Which other language speakers can pronounce this name the easiest and which struggle the most?

Which religion has historically done the most to care for the poor and/or to life people out of poverty?