The way I see it, "love" is a verbal word. Unless you're exceedingly inept in the use of day-to-day speech, to say "I love ice blocks" would not leave anyone having visions of a very peculiar type of relationship. I might (but wouldn't, of course) say "I love Heather Locklear", but even then, no one would really believe that I did anything other than vaguely lust after her. And there are, of course, dozens of other shades of meanings and contexts in which you might say "I love" rather than "I like" while actually meaning "I like". Spoken, there would be little confusion.
The word "love" falls down when it is part of written prose. Without a lot of modifying preparatory bumpf, the bald, written statement "I love Heather Locklear" might be taken in the sense of
eros simply because there are no referents on which to base any other interpretation. Similarly, you may be kinky as all get out, and write "I love my church", intending the sense of
eros while others around you would interpret it in terms of
agape because of lack of other information.
However, I understand Bridget's dilemma, and I have a solution. Let's say that "love" as a verb takes a modifying number, for instance, 1 to 10. 1 equals "I like" and 8 equals "I love romantically" with all of the ramifications of that. 9 equals "luuurrve" and 10 equals "I'm damned if I know what love is, really".
Therefore "I love(1) ice cream" will leave no one confused about what you mean. "I love(9) Heather Locklear" will be interpreted correctly. "I love(10) my wife" would get you a divorce.
How about it?
