Expotition = exploration?

Winnie-the-Pooh ( a book of children's stories) is written from the point of view of Christopher Robin, a young child. Part of its charm is the occasional mis-spelling of words, and malapropisms.

Expotition in this context stands for "expedition".

Christopher Robin is a character in a children's story. There was a real Christopher Robin, who, as a child, admired a bear at the zoo in London. The bear was brought to England by Canadian troops in 1914, and as their regiment came from Winnipeg, in the Canadian province of Manitoba, the bear was named Winnie. So Christopher Robin's father wrote a series of stories about a child's stuffed bear named Winnie the Pooh, and in the stories, Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh have adventures together.



This is an illustration from the original books of Christopher Robin reading to Winnie the Pooh.

Expotition is a case of the author mimicking the errors that children sometimes make with large words that they don't really understand. The word which is wanted in this case if expedition, which is a group of people who set out to accomplish a goal, often a difficult one.

I think such misspellings must funny for children.

Could you please explain a bit it is funny and why the English children would not be misled by it?

It wouldn't really matter if children were "misled" by the word--it is very likely that the stories would be read to them by an adult, who could explain things if the child asked.

Thank you

Click here for the story of Winnie the Pooh.



Winnie the Pooh (the original bear) on Salisbury Plain in 1914.

Children are smarter, and more adaptable, than most adults give them credit for.

For example, that learn that "Gee-gee" and "horsey" are adult-speak for "horse", and they do this easily, taking all in their stride.