Quote Originally Posted by Carlo View Post
I have heard that many times and I can tell you that there are two easy reasons I have witnessed. Normally it's one or the other.
1. You don't feel as anxious about using a foreign language as without the wine (kiltwearing might help with that too). Your French is as good or bad as before, but you might take away something from the conversation.
2. You had one glass to many and you THINK you speak French better than normal. Your French is as good or probably even worse than normal.

I don't drink so I have to wear a kilt to improve my language skills

When talking about greek philosophers I'm not sure if by men they meant men or humans but from the little I know I think it is quite possible that they meant men. Unfortunately I've crashed my TARDIS and without her my greek can't even be helped by permanent kilt-wearing.
Alas, you are no doubt correct. I should have said made speaking French "easier" for me rather than "better" and no doubt even then only because of the release of my inhibitions in trying to mimic French pronunciations which came difficult to my Saxon trained ears. I'm sure it did nothing for my vocabulary or grammar, let alone typical French dialogue. That was well over 40 years ago now and no doubt also suffers from "false memory" issues as well. I do remember, however, how much free-er it felt. Not unlike wearing the kilt!

Re: gender inclusion and ancient Greek philosophers -- I would have to try to find a faithful rendering in the original ancient Greek text to know what exact word Epictetus used or even if it were written in Greek originally rather than perhaps Latin -- he was a Roman "slave" and the book is reputed to have been very popular among the Roman Legions. Plato, however, made it very clear (out of the mouth of Socrates) that one's gender was not a relevant issue except in reproduction and considered males and females in all other respects to be the same and equal, all other thing being equal. As followers of this "Socratic view," the Stoics (including Epictetus) tended to adopt this inclusive notion of "human kind" irrespective of gender, race, etc. So ???? Also, Epictetus did not actually "write" the book himself anyway. The collection of his teachings/sayings which constitute the Enchiridion was (somewhat like Socrates and Plato) copied and handed down by one of his students, Arrian, it is reputed.