Mastering E-Prime: The Language Revolutionizing Communication

Have you ever imagined a language without the verb “to be”? Welcome to the world of E-Prime, a version of the English language that eliminates all forms of the verb “to be”, including “is”, “are”, “was”, and “were”¹. E-Prime might sound strange at first, but its creators believed it could make our thoughts clearer and communication more effective².

E-Prime, short for English Prime, relies on the theory that the verb “to be” leads to less precise, more generalized statements. It encourages speakers to describe perceptions, experiences, and sensations more accurately, instead of relying on assumptions³. For instance, instead of saying “This cake is good,” in E-Prime, one might say, “I enjoy this cake.” This subtle shift not only avoids a broad generalization but also emphasizes the subjective experience.

The concept of E-Prime came from D. David Bourland Jr., a student of Alfred Korzybski, the founder of general semantics, in the late 1940s. Korzybski proposed that the structure of our language influences our thinking and behavior, a concept encapsulated in his famous statement: “The map is not the territory.” By removing “to be”, Bourland and his followers aimed at minimizing misunderstandings and promoting a more empirical and experiential way of expressing reality⁴.

Critics of E-Prime argue that it can make language cumbersome and difficult to use, particularly in scientific writing where passive voice, often using the verb “to be”, predominates. However, proponents claim that E-Prime fosters creativity and forces speakers to think more about their word choices, leading to clearer and more detailed communication⁵.

Integrating E-Prime into daily communication or creative writing might seem daunting at first. Yet, many have found it an enriching exercise that enhances mindfulness in language use⁶. Some even believe that practicing E-Prime could play a role in conflict resolution by helping people express their feelings and perspectives more clearly, thus avoiding misunderstandings and generalizations⁷.

Let the exploration of E-Prime inspire you to examine not just your language but your perceptions and beliefs. Through this lens, we can strive toward greater clarity, not only in communication but in understanding our world and each other.

1. https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/rcl.00087.shi?TRACK=RSS [↩]
2. https://www.biopac.com/wp-content/uploads/AppNote-292-E-Prime-Interface.pdf [↩]
3. https://blogs.ubc.ca/badlanguage/2019/11/27/e-prime-a-linguistic-exercise-to-avoid-confusion-and-clarify-meaning/ [↩]
4. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/03-41-3-e.pdf [↩]
5. https://community.languagetool.org/rule/show/E_PRIME_STRICT?lang=en&subId=1 [↩]
6. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791 [↩]
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835442/ [↩]