There’s no shortage of things to ponder in the strange and unorthodox speech patterns of Joe Biden. One recurring feature which has begun to attract some notice is his frequent use of one particular word which cannot be located in any English dictionary. Biden has frequently been filmed using the word “expodentially,” a word which does not exist in the English language and never has existed until now, though Biden is apparently determined to force it into the dictionaries.
Linguistic complications
The English language is beautiful and articulate and sophisticated; the language of Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Byron. It can’t be denied, however, that it is at times a bizarre and confusing tongue for the uninitiated.
This isn’t surprising given that the language, rooted in Germanic Anglo-Saxon, has inherited significant elements of Latin and French and smaller legacies from Greek, Norse, and Celtic sources.
The codification of one single English language with consistent rules of spelling, grammar, and pronunciation is in fact a relatively recent development.
Notable authors including William Faulkner and George Bernard Shaw have crafted styles which knowingly and intentionally flout conventional linguistic rules for stylistic effect.
Then there are those who incorrectly use the language without realizing that they aren’t saying what they think they are saying. Not an uncommon sight unfortunately.
Perhaps President Biden is attempting to inherit the legacy of our literary greats and intentionally coining a new word. Or, and infinitely more likely, he thinks he’s saying “exponentially” and doesn’t actually know how the word is spelled.
Butchering the English language
If we were generous we could suggest that Biden slipped up and mispronounced the word once or twice. Unfortunately he’s done it repeatedly and with a definite and pronounced “D” where the “N” should be.
We’ve all encountered people who confidently say “irregardless” or use the wrong “your” or talk about how they “could care less” when they mean “couldn’t care less” as if there isn’t any grammatical difference.
There isn’t any point in getting hung up on these misuses of the English language unless it is someone who, based on their position, should really know better.
High school teachers and journalists and college students shouldn’t get a pass on these things. The President of the United States shouldn’t either.
Few things are more rote at this point than pointing out that if a conservative had done what Biden is doing they would be mercilessly mocked in the press.
With that apophasis out of the way, we know for a fact that no one would have ignored Trump inventing nonexistent words in the White House. The English language deserves better than an American president who uses words he doesn’t understand or know how to spell.
