(un)countability of "girl" and "man"

[CarloSsS]

Is there any way one could use, whatever the register, the words "girl" and "man" uncountably in a sentence like this?

"I could be girl, unless you want to be man."

After all, in certain cases, you can use countable nouns without articles (or any other determiner, for that matter). As far as I recall, you can use this when talking about ideas (as Plato defined them in Platonic theory of ideas), not about the usual countable nouns as we all know them from our everyday lives. What do you think, is it this case? Is it even true that you can use countables like that?

 

[bhaisahab]

Is there any way one could use, whatever the register, the words "girl" and "man" uncountably in a sentence like this?

"I could be girl, unless you want to be man."

After all, in certain cases, you can use countable nouns without articles (or any other determiner, for that matter). As far as I recall, you can use this when talking about ideas (as Plato defined them in Platonic theory of ideas), not about the usual countable nouns as we all know them from our everyday lives. What do you think, is it this case? Is it even true that you can use countables like that?

"I could be girl, unless you want to be man." This makes no sense.

 

[Raymott]

You can use 'man', as in 'humankind'. "Man first developed iron tools in XXXXBC".
I can't think of a use for 'girl' in that way. Also, 'Man' in this case is not a Platonic ideal, but a real historical entity.

 

[CarloSsS]

"I could be girl, unless you want to be man." This makes no sense.

Not even if we consider "girl" and "man" to be Platonic ideals? Something in the sense of "I could be female, unless you want to be male"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Not even if we consider "girl" and "man" to be Platonic ideals? Something in the sense of "I could be female, unless you want to be male"?

"Female" and "male" are adjectives in your sentence so they work. "Girl" and "man" are nouns so they don't.

 

[CarloSsS]

"Female" and "male" are adjectives in your sentence so they work. "Girl" and "man" are nouns so they don't.

Yeah. So there's no way, in any context imaginable where the sentence would work? I admit that I took it from song lyrics, but that doesn't make it wrong I daresay.

 

[emsr2d2]

Song lyrics are probably the most grammatically incorrect forms of English imaginable in many respects. I can't make an argument grammatically for your original sentence.

 

[5jj]

Song lyrics are probably the most grammatically incorrect forms of English imaginable in many respects.

Among my favourites; here (0.57)

 

[Raymott]

Among my favourites; here (0.57)

I can't decide whether are you are or are you ain't implying that the OP's sentence is it is or is it ain't correct.

 

[Tdol]

Among my favourites; here (0.57)

Have you heard this one? It's Louis Farrakhan in his early days as a Calypso artist, The Charmer, singing about a transsexual.