Quoting John Cowan <jcowan@...>:
> Andreas Johansson scripsit:
>
> > But saying _soldater_ instead of _mannar_ has nothing to do with
> gender. The
> > fact that the former easily extends its meaning to include female
> combatants
> > is entirely accidental.
>
> Good point. When Caesar faced a mutiny, he returned his troops to duty
> with
> the single word "Quirites", implying that he was addressing them as
> Roman citizens/civilians rather than as soldiers ("Romani").
Would he have used _romani_ like that? Last I read of this episode, the writer
assumed the expected address has been _milites_.
Andreas