like "being" / "to be" a girl

[AmerikaMagyar]

Isabelle said, "I'm a girl, and I like being a girl."
Isabelle said, "I'm a girl, and I like to be a girl."

Are both good?

 

[jeckel]

Are both good?

Not a teacher.

"to be" implies change eg:

"I am a boy, but I would like to be a man"

"I'm a girl, and I like being a girl." Is the correct one.

 

[Pedroski]

1) Isabelle said, "I'm a girl, and I like being a girl."
2) Isabelle said, "I'm a girl, and I like to be a girl."

I don't think 2) is wrong. Why do you say only 1) is correct? There is the famous: 'to be or not to be'. Is there a change implicit in 'to be' there?

 

[Raymott]

Are both good?

The second doesn't sound natural to me.

Note: If you put part of your post in a quote box, it won't show up when someone quotes you.

 

[jeckel]

Not a teacher.


"to be or not to be". Although when he wrote this I’m sure Shakespeare’s intent was simply to ask wether or not one should "be", I am going to have to add to the sentence in order to explain myself.

"To be a girl or not to be a girl?"

Again the "to be" is asking a question of change, not emphasizing the state of being a girl, the reader has no idea if the subject is a girl or not at the moment.

"Being a girl or not being a girl"

The subject is clearly a girl and the state of being one is in question here. This is the message trying to be portrayed.

 

[bhaisahab]

Are both good?

The second is not natural English.

 

[Pedroski]

Can't get the hang of them there quotes!

Shakesbeer didn't write: 'being or not being, this is the question'.

'be' can mean become. "To be a girl or not to be a girl?" he/she asked him/herself, standing in front of the sex-change clinic.

Dunno what subject you mean in "Being a girl or not being a girl" 'a girl' is female, except of course in Bankok and Amsterdam, where they may have either sex and still be gorgeous, but does a phrase have a subject??.

"Being a girl or not being a girl," is irrelevant he/she said.

As to natural English: I had a guy from Alabama staying with me recently. His English is very different to mine, but quite natural and understandable. Where do you put your measuring stick? When does English become unnatural?

 

[philadelphia]

Wrong topic sorry.

 

[Raymott]

As to natural English: I had a guy from Alabama staying with me recently. His English is very different to mine, but quite natural and understandable. Where do you put your measuring stick? When does English become unnatural?

OK, it's not just unnatural, it's probably wrong. The sentences mean different things.
1. "I like to be a girl" means "I like acting like a girl".
2. "I like being a girl" can mean "I'm comfortable and happy in being a girl; I accept that I'm a girl and I like it". Or it could be used to mean 1.
But 1. doesn't mean 2.

 

[Pedroski]

Probably wrong? Are we talking Quantum Grammar here? Or just wrong in Brisbane? I still can't get the hang of quotes!!

'be' means acting?? That is new for me. You could also read it as existential 'be', or 'be' = become.

If someone asks an Englishwoman 'Do you like being a girl?' and she answers, 'Yes,I like to be girl' cf I like to be free' is she then unnatural?

This is from a lesbian web page: Leena is a girl.

Arizona, Tucson. 19

I'm Leena. I usually don't give into using labels, but I guess I would be a femme bi that prefers women. I like to be a girl and go shopping and tanning and so on, but I also have a tomboy side since I have a lot of guy friends. I'm extremely loyal to the people I love and very romantic. I'm very …

Do you still think 1) doesn't mean 2)? If so, why?

 

[jeckel]

Probably wrong? Are we talking Quantum Grammar here? Or just wrong in Brisbane? I still can't get the hang of quotes!!

'be' means acting?? That is new for me. You could also read it as existential 'be', or 'be' = become.

If someone asks an Englishwoman 'Do you like being a girl?' and she answers, 'Yes,I like to be girl' cf I like to be free' is she then unnatural?

This is from a lesbian web page: Leena is a girl.

Arizona, Tucson. 19

I'm Leena. I usually don't give into using labels, but I guess I would be a femme bi that prefers women. I like to be a girl and go shopping and tanning and so on, but I also have a tomboy side since I have a lot of guy friends. I'm extremely loyal to the people I love and very romantic. I'm very …

Do you still think 1) doesn't mean 2)? If so, why?

Hmm, you argue a good point, 3 or 4 people that devote their spare time to researching the English language thought a phrase was "un-natural" English but Leena a 19 year old feminist bisexual used that same quote on the internet. I’m truly stumped.

What Leena wrote DOES make proper use of "to be" because she is using it in the sense that she likes acting female. She likes acting like a regular girl but also has a tomboy side. She is not saying that she is happy that she is a girl or "I like being a girl".

 

[Raymott]

Probably wrong? Are we talking Quantum Grammar here? Or just wrong in Brisbane? I still can't get the hang of quotes!!
I meant that "I like to be a girl" is probably not the meaning that the OP was looking for. It is more likely that what she wants to communicate is meaning 2, as I've written it above.

'be' means acting?? That is new for me. You could also read it as existential 'be', or 'be' = become.
Yes, but "I like to become a girl" doesn't make sense. Acting = behaving. I don't mean pretending.
"I like to be a real prick sometimes" = "I like to behave/act like a real prick sometimes".
"When we play Cops and Robbers, I like to be a robber!" (be = act like/behave like.)

If someone asks an Englishwoman 'Do you like being a girl?' and she answers, 'Yes,I like to be girl' cf I like to be free' is she then unnatural?
Yes, I think it would be unnatural for an Englishwoman to say, 'Yes,I like to be girl'. An English person may correct me if I'm wrong.

This is from a lesbian web page: Leena is a girl.

Arizona, Tucson. 19

I'm Leena. I usually don't give into using labels, but I guess I would be a femme bi that prefers women. I like to be a girl and go shopping and tanning and so on, but I also have a tomboy side since I have a lot of guy friends. I'm extremely loyal to the people I love and very romantic. I'm very …
She's obviously saying that sometimes she likes behaving like a boy and sometimes she likes behaving like a girl. As Leena implies (and, of course, we are stereotyping), "shopping and tanning and so on", is behaving like a girl.
As I said, she could have used, "I like being a girl sometimes - going shopping and tanning and so on" to mean this. But she's unlikely to say "I like to be a girl" with meaning 2. She's using 1. to mean 1.

Do you still think 1) doesn't mean 2)? If so, why?
Yes, I do, for the reasons I've given here and above; and because the examples you've given tend to confirm this.

PS:
Prince William: 1. I like to be a prince. 2. I like being a prince. 1 can be used as in "Sometimes I want to just go to the pub and relax and get drunk, and other times I like to be a prince" (act/behave in a princely way) - meaning 1.
"But all things considered, I like being a prince." - meaning 2. He would not say 1. to mean this. William-watchers can correct me.

 

[Pedroski]

Interesting. What you propose is a one way street: 'being' means 'be', but 'to be' doesn't. If Leena had said 'I like being a girl, shopping and so on' would you then say 'being' is acting. I'm pretty sure I could find such a sentence.

I want to be a policeman. I am a policeman. I like being a policeman. Yes, all in all, I like to be a policeman.

I had a similar argument with some people about 'the open door' vs 'the opened door'. They read all kinds of stuff into 'opened' which they would not assume of 'open'.

 

[birdeen's call]

PS:
Prince William: 1. I like to be a prince. 2. I like being a prince. 1 can be used as in "Sometimes I want to just go to the pub and relax and get drunk, and other times I like to be a prince" (act/behave in a princely way) - meaning 1.
"But all things considered, I like being a prince." - meaning 2. He would not say 1. to mean this. William-watchers can correct me.

How far does your distinction go? Is it only about the phrases "like being" and "like to be" or is it a case of a more general rule?

 

[Raymott]

I want to be a policeman. I am a policeman. I like being a policeman. Yes, all in all, I like to be a policeman.

If there are any other native speakers who think this sounds natural, I'd be interested to hear it. Maybe there are regions where it's used.

 

[Raymott]

How far does your distinction go? Is it only about the phrases "like being" and "like to be" or is it a case of a more general rule?

It's specific to this case.