Why is there such difficulty for many blacks in pronouncing the work "Ask?" They pronounce it "Axe."

Question

Okay, I'm a black woman so this is not some racist ASKing the question. Did this start off as a regional thing with people from the south and then when many blacks moved to the north and all over the US they carried this pronunciation with them. I am just really curious because this pronunciation is pretty pervasive. I've noticed in other forums that blacks get pissed off when whites or others ASK them about this and look at the question coming from them as some kind of put down or ridicule. Truthfully for many of those ASKing the question it is a put down & racially motivated because they look for any reason to perpetuate the hate. For me, I would just like to know. My parents were adamant about how we pronounced words and would never have accepted or allowed us to say "AXE" when we meant "ASK." So, is it a matter of ignorance and under-education/under-exposure or is it a matter of people not caring? What is it and why is that pronunciation so difficult and such a sensitive issu

I'll state again for the benefit of "LOW" who answered my question. This is not "racially motivated." My question came because I personally have only heard blacks use this pronunciation. That is not to say other races don't make the same mistake. I also KNOW that blacks aren't the ONLY ones who mispronounce words or use incorrect grammar. I asked a specific question and set the context. In my personal experience, and being around predominantly black people, a high percentage of them mispronounce the word. If I wanted to formulate a question asking why so many people in the WORLD mispronounce English words and have issues with grammar I would have asked. Since my interest at this time and place is in my own people, I limited the question to blacks. Hope you got that and if not, oh well...

Answer 1

As a jr. high special ed. teacher, I am confronted with this problem every day. It makes teaching my LD students to read MUCH harder because they can not sound out words like "ask", and don't understand why they can't just write "Johnny party was fun" or "her baby daddy", instead of the correct way, "Johnny's party" or "her baby's daddy". It's not just pronunciation, it's trying to teach around a whole way of communication.

Answer 2

Listen for the next time that you hear the T pronounced in the word NEXT, Because instead of cuz/ becuz. Try a hundurd fifty dollar
or there was two hundred and twenty instead of two hundred twenty.

Get off of the BLACK thing Lady. Are you implying that only black people make grammatical or spelling errors.

Across the board, our school system does not teach phonetics
too, allot of people just do not care about their speech or grammar. Try, "Thank you so much", instead of 'Thank you very much" What does the word SO, mean in the dictionary.

The current miss use of the work,"like". Like I was go...., Like she told me.., Like your suppose....

Your question is valid, outside of racial context.

Answer 3

Selective "ignance"...(that's "ignorance")...
Same reason the idiots wear their boxer shorts up past their belly buttons, their pants 10 sizes too big and down past their as*schecks (but at least they wear a belt) and consider
"Ebonics" a plausible excuse to talk like morons!!!
"Ya know wat I is 'axing' y'all?"
Listen to a speech by General Colin Powell or Condolezza Rice, very well respected, articulate "Black" individuals.
Then listen to and compare those speeches to ones by the "Reverend" (yeah, right) Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. And then take a close look at their "supporters"...fuc*king LOSERS!!!
Their scamming and brainwashing the mentally incompetent population with bul*lshit nonsense. And these are supposed to be "leaders" to our people?
Grow up, people! Stupidity is not cool!!!

Answer 4

I think some of it is regional, I am originally from the Pittsburgh area and in that area you hear it from all races. A lot of people there also pronounce Washington and wash, warshington and warsh.

Answer 5

I think this is a fantastic question. Not only for black people, but for ALL people. It's pretty astounding to me, to see people continuously abusing the English language.

Answer 6

We are a product of our enviorment & upbringing. #1 Black folks hear words that sound right cause everyone around them sounds that way
#2 Would a stronger lip or throught muscle cause this words sound??

Answer 7

you have a great question here /

i used to work with a guy and he would aways come up to me and say can i Axe you a question .

so my response was if you put down the Axe you can ask me any question . then he would respond ooh come on you know what i mean ...

Answer 8

don't know but if they practiced they could probably improve there speach[know some la. cajuns that talk like that]
happy day
old hillbilly
geezer