why do some people pronounce ASK...ARKS? Or am i hearing things wrong?

Question

Either way it gets on my nerves, and feel the urge to slap whoever says it!

Answer 1

Puddy has the idea but has a few details a bit off.

As suggested "arks" is a variation on the "aks" pronunciation, just with a slightly different vowel.

As for "aks" -- it was not THE way to say it, but was a dialectal variation within English. In fact, BOTH "aks" and "ask" are found in Old English and in the Middle English writing of Chaucer.

In 17th century England, "aks" was the standard in ONE of the four major British dialects of the early American settlers.

"From 1642-1675 the Royalists, also called Cavaliers, fled from the south and southwest England with their indentured servants and settled in Virginia when the English Civil War against Charles I began. They brought with them their south England drawl (a drawing out of the vowels); they also brought such phrases as aksed (instead of asked), and ain't (instead of isn't). Royalists later settled the Carolinas as well. Southern English speech laid the foundation for the development of American Tidewater speech, or Coastal Southern English."

http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ling201/test3materials/AmericanDialects.h

Now this pronunciation largely died out even in that regional dialect. But certain subgroups retained it. Among these were slaves and many of their descendants, who carried on the planter dialect. That is, it was NOT something created by African Americans -- it's just that their forebears learned English from slaveholders who spoke that way.

Answer 2

actually, the reason for this is that in around the 17 and 1800s, the pronounciation of the workd ask was arks in England. This pronounciation moved with the English to their colonies. 200 years on, and the number of ethnic minorities who have come from ex colonies have bought the previous pronounciation with them. You might find that the majority of people using this pronounciation are from the Caribbean or West Indies. Kids of course have picked this up because they like to 'fit in; with what is percieved as 'in' or different from their parents.

Answer 3

Yes even though the spelling is ask but people have a tendency to get the first thing they get hence if a person starts saying arks then he becomes habituated to it. This is probably the reason according to my experience.

Answer 4

How can some folk pronounce the 'g' at the end of a word (like drinking or making).
It has a hypnotic quality .. I'm entranced!

Answer 5

I've heard "Aks" been used particularly by rappers. Some say its L.A. or African American dialect. In truth its simply bad grammar/illiteracy/lack of education etc... Unfortunately like text speak as it becomes widely known it becomes popular and therefor acceptable.

Answer 6

Same with people who say brought instead of bought and feel like slapping them as well

Answer 7

Are you English? Its about accents: north and south have different prononciation like "glass" and "glarss".

Get used to it. Not everone lives in the same town as you!!!

Answer 8

bleughhh i hate that too. arks is even close to ask..i suppose they think its cool to say arks lol the little midgetbrains

Answer 9

i pronounce asks- akks as i can not say it properly, i do not have a lisp it just wont come out right. Also multiplication i can not say this properly either...

Answer 10

Yes really annoying.
Also along with brought/ bought I hate it that no-one seems to know the difference between there, their and they're. And your and you're.
Not that difficult!!