We've had the misuse of my/your/ourself
but what about 'he', as in:

Caller: Is that SLVA?
Me: Yes, I am he.

What rule has that broken, if any? It just sounds weird.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 11:43, 9 replies)

If it sounds weird
Then don't say it.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 11:44, closed)

If I did that
then hardly any words would be spoken in the presence of some of my closest mates. We have our own form of gobbldigook which would give Stanley Unwin a run for his money. For example:
"What are you doing tonight?"
becomes
Witter "you're doomed!" to newts

ALso, we have ever more convoluted methods of invitation. The last time I asked him over for a beer, I asked

"Would you care be shrouded in a selection of gases I keep within my house? I can offer some intoxicating hydrocarbons so your liver has something to do."
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 12:04, closed)

Technically
ethanol is not a hydrocarbon.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 12:09, closed)

Why not?

(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 12:14, closed)

Too much oxygen in it.
Hydrocarbons are made up of just carbon and hydrogen.
( Fronds are waving gently on, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 12:45, closed)

I didn't offer him alcohol
it was cyclopentane.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 13:30, closed)

Mine's a pint.

( flake has nothing against your right leg, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 12:10, closed)

Grammatically speaking, it's fine.
Consider "She's richer than he", which is an ellipsis for "She's richer than he is". No-one seems to remember that these days, so everyone (except aristocrats, lawyers and Classics teachers) says "She's richer than him". For the same reason, "I am he" / "This is he [who is currently speaking]" / etc. sounds weird even though it's correct.
( .Yeti., Thu 15 Apr 2010, 12:14, closed)

But in this case
It's as simple as "to be" taking its object in the nominative, in English. Which is why "Who's Who" is a grammatically correct reference book title - despite a resilient rump of punters who insist it should be "Who's Whom".

I agree about the "taller than I [am tall]" sort of thing generally - using my own favourite example just to back up yours.

The one that always annoys me is "correcting" me to I in a compound object. "Sheila gave great head to the Pope and I." No she didn't!

Also, Whitney Houston: "It's the second time around/For you and I boy!"

No. It. Isn't.

She's a complete skank and I've never been near her.

The test for this one - remove all other parts of the compound object, and see how bad it sounds. "Mr. Kipling baked some excellent brownies for I!" The dialect, far from being "proper", makes it sound like they'd be full of ganja.
(snopesthetruth, Thu 15 Apr 2010, 13:00, closed)