Former US President George W. Bush’s unique way of speaking, known as “President’s English” or “Bushisms,” is characterized by grammatical errors, malapropisms, and spoonerisms. While some find it amusing, others are embarrassed by it. Some suggest that it reflects a discomfort with formal English, while others believe that slips can happen to anyone. Bush’s English has become world-famous, with many collections of his famous phrases. Some publications correct his statements, while others leave them intact with or without commentary.
Some people use the term “President’s English” derisively, to refer to the peculiar way of speaking exhibited by former US President George Walker Bush. Many examples of the president’s English could be heard at speeches, press conferences, and various other events during his tenure. The term “Bushisms” is also used to describe these slips of the tongue, which range from funny to awful. Some Americans are embarrassed by the president’s English, believing it reflects poorly on the entire nation.
Public speaking is difficult, and presidents are not exempt from gaffes, even when they have speechwriters to assist them. Numerous presidents throughout American history have made some notable slip-ups while holding public office, but Bush made quite a few, leading to widespread mockery around the world. Some people suggest that his use of the English language suggested a deep discomfort with English, especially the formal form used by elected officials in Washington, implying that Bush was not intelligent. Others have more charitably suggested that slips can happen to anyone, even a president.
Presidential English is characterized by an inability to grasp basic grammatical concepts, such as subject/verb agreement. Many Bushisms take the form of spoonerisms, where the letters of a word are transposed by chance, while others are simply malapropisms, words used where they don’t belong. At times, the president’s English has led to the coining of an entirely new word, such as “underappreciated,” a Bushism that astounded observers in Arkansas in 2000. In other instances, the president has seemed to ramble or become confused as he spoke .
Many Bushisms simply sound like off-the-cuff comments made in a hurry. Others are simply baffling and totally unfathomable, while some examples of the president’s English suggest that the president’s brain may have worked faster than his mouth, as in the case where he distorts popular wisdom and popular sayings, as he did in 2002 when he he said, “Fool me once, shame on you… Fool me, you can’t be fooled again.”
Some examples of the President’s English have become quite famous, and there are a number of collections of famous phrases spoken by the 43rd President of the United States. The explanation behind Bush’s famous battle with the English language may be rooted in his attempt to cover up a regional dialect, as part of a desire to appear more professional and educated. Whatever the reason, the president’s English has become world-famous, thanks to truly impressive statements such as “The question is rarely asked: Are our children learning?
Some publications have taken pity on President Bush, correcting his statements before reprinting them, while others choose to leave the president’s English intact, with and without commentary. Most damning of all, perhaps, is that some newspapers gleefully insert the Latin word sic, indicating that although the statement appears to be a misprint, it is simply being reported as it was said.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
