I do also have an issue with the identity use that you list, but I didn't include it in my set. I don't encounter it as often as I do the predication (I didn't know that word before! Yay learning!) and passive-voice things that annoy or confuse me, but it goes something like this:
E-prime prevents you from saying things like "I am an artist" -- instead, you have to say things like "I make art". In theory, this means that in order to claim the implied 'artist' status, you have to actually 'make art'. An outside observer can't tell if you 'are an artist' or not, but they generally can tell if you 'make art' (because you can show them that). So it adds a dimension of honesty to language.
Other people might have other problems with the identity 'to-be', but I think I only have that one. If I think about it more, I might come up with others.
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branchandroot
Re: multiple uses of Be
Date: 2007-08-16 05:30 pm (UTC)E-prime prevents you from saying things like "I am an artist" -- instead, you have to say things like "I make art". In theory, this means that in order to claim the implied 'artist' status, you have to actually 'make art'. An outside observer can't tell if you 'are an artist' or not, but they generally can tell if you 'make art' (because you can show them that). So it adds a dimension of honesty to language.
Other people might have other problems with the identity 'to-be', but I think I only have that one. If I think about it more, I might come up with others.