When you write that you consider the statement 'I see a carpenter' as an identity, e-prime would define that identity as a personal identity. I could look at that same person and say, 'I see an astronaut'. If you saw a person that had a tool box wrapped around his waste with the wording, 'Finest Carpenter in Town', and then pointed out that man to me and identified him as a carpenter, that would make your statement an accurate universal statement. To my understanding, e-prime identifies the observable, not inferential. E-prime does not reflect a catagorical imperative language. No language has perfection, but e-prime does act as an instrument to perfect the english language. Karen
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