I am in no way trying to be offensive with this question, i've just always wondered!
2007-08-27 23:58:45 · 25 answers · asked by floss 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Actually "aks" comes from middle English and "ask" is modern English. Consider that the majority of slave plantations were owned by Americans with British roots and that explains it. "aks" was still widely used in England during the European/American slave trade period. It is called a metathesis, but it metathesized from "aks" to "ask", not vice-versa. To take it back to Old English, "ascian" and "axian/acsian" were both in use.
Other metathesized words in English
asteriks - asterisk
brid - bird
calavry - cavalry
comftable - comfortable
foiladge - foliage
intorduce - introduce
intergal - integral
revelant - relevant
2007-08-28 00:16:27 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 61⤊ 18⤋
It's just an accent, believe it or not everyone has one. Langauges evolve, words get changed. There's such a seperation between a lot of white and black people that in the most segregated areas, the langauge changed differently. It's a headache to try and get the kids I tutor to spell "ask" though... they want to spell it "aks" The other one that I have a lot of problems with is saying "scr-" instead of "str-" like "street" gets written "screet."
2016-03-16 05:26:14 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Aks Instead Of Ask
2017-01-02 09:22:26 · answer #3 · answered by schexneider 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All the blacks around here started mispronouncing the word "ask" as "aks" in the mid 90 s. It seems it was then that it became a fad with the blacks. I ve never heard a white man use it, and I never heard blacks use it before then. It s not an "Old English metathesis" passed down amongst blacks thru the centuries. Blacks around here also mispronounce the word "manipulate" as "manipple-late" and the word "specifically" as "pacifically" (even tho we re on the east coast - Atlantic ocean lol!)
2015-10-05 05:31:13 · answer #4 · answered by Lonnie 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Why do lots of black people say "aks" instead of "ask"?
I am in no way trying to be offensive with this question, i've just always wondered!
2015-08-18 20:58:49 · answer #5 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You may want to aks a black person for your answa.
2016-04-28 15:39:55 · answer #6 · answered by coronet_rt_1969 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
From the Bible, circa 1300s:
" And to hym that is myghti to do alle thingis more plenteuousli thanne we axen, or undirstande bi the vertu that worchith in us, to hym be glorie in the chirche and in crist ihesus in to alle the generaciouns of the worldis. Amen."
Axen. Axe = ask.
2014-06-25 16:49:56 · answer #7 · answered by Cartesian M 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/au019
slang, like heron, I always bust out laughing when I hear that. Im like what kind of drugs? You shootin up birds now?
2016-04-01 17:12:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do not know, it is a puzzlement to me. I think it might be a regional thing. A lot of people say it near where I live and also they say "pacifically" instead of "specifically". Never heard that before I came to this area.
2007-08-28 02:39:18 · answer #9 · answered by zakiit 7 · 6⤊ 4⤋
Because it posses white people off!
2015-08-20 17:08:10 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they have poor grammar! XD
2016-12-25 17:14:38 · answer #11 · answered by ? 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋