Does it bother you when people say "axe" instead of "ask"?

[BabaBooey]

Urban dictionary says....


ax

1.
How ignorant uneducated people say ask. This is an excellent example of ebonics.
I need to ax you a question.


2.
How people who speak ebonics (black people) say "ask".
Did chu ax him fo' tha smoke?

3.
Ebonic form of the word "ask".
I was finna ax you a question.

 

[mattpegher]

self-loather.
i know black people like that. they're generally much more educated and can't stand the ghetto culture that's so pervasive among blacks.

I grew up in a mostly white neighborhood with a few african-american families. We were all middleclass, all be it probably low end of middleclass. Non of my african-american neighbors were at all ghetto. Many might call them names for fitting in with mainstream culture but to me they were just my friends and neighbors. The one neighbor went on to med school, which probably got me interested as well. Its a shame that some are forced to feel that they have abandoned there heritage simply because they choose not to conform to a ghetto culture.

 

[Pantlegz]

yes

 

[purbeast0]

In all seriousness, I say axe. I don't know why. My wife's family is always teasing me about it. My one sister in a law will call the house just to say "hey I need to axe you something". I have tried to change it, but I have't been able to. I guess some things are just apart of our makeup.

so you always grew up saying it the wrong way? what got you started saying it that way? when you write it out do you spell it wrong, or when you read "ask" out loud, do you say "aks" ?

serious questions too, i'm genuinely curious.

 

[Cheesetogo]

I've found myself saying something that more closely resembles "assed" than "asked" lately. For some reason, "asked" can be difficult for me to fully enunciate. Only with the "-ed" suffix though.

 

[Oyeve]

It's so fucking ghetto. I live in NYC and I hear this too many times in one day. Whites, blacks, hispanics, they all say it. Its just ghetto. drives me fucking mad. It was so bad in the 70s that to this day, if someone says "ax" in that context I just look at them like they are the stupidest person in the world then walk away.

 

[AlienCraft]

yes.
And add to that "Ima" as in "ima gonna axe you who is ...."

 

[thraashman]

I get annoyed with poor use of language or grammar. I can be a little more forgiving if it's someone whose first language is no English. I work as a software engineer so I hear a lot of poor grammer from Indian co-workers.

Things that irritate me most.
Use of "Is" instead of "Are".
Use of "Has" instead of "have".
Leaving out words entirely, I can't think of appropriate examples though as I don't do that.
Yes, use of axe instead of ask is annoying.
I had one Indian co-worker who when referring to someone by name who was not the person he was talking to, would add "the" in front. Such as "I'll go ask the Brian if he knows"

 

[shortylickens]

The only thing I hate hearing is "no" instead of "yes".

Fucking stuck up bar tramps!

 

[SagaLore]

Yes, yes it does. I can't figure out why anyone would continue saying it that way even knowing that is not how the word is spelled nor pronounced.

 

[torpid]

If I ax you, you will know it, because it will hurt. A lot.

 

[AlienCraft]

Yes, yes it does. I can't figure out why anyone would continue saying it that way even knowing that is not how the word is spelled nor pronounced.

This also applies to "can't". It seems as if people will leave off the negative "not" and simply let you figure it out from the rest of their inane ramblings. It happens in spoken conversation also.

 

[brianmanahan]

this thread got potential

 

[Adrenaline]

I had a teacher in high school say to me:

Lemme axe you a querstion? (yes, she put the r in question)

I replied back:

You can ask me whatever you want, but you can't axe me for anything.

Everyone laughed but her and I wasn't asked anything again that day. So yes, it does bother me when it is said.

 

[M0RPH]

Well you guys can be PC and pretend this isn't a black thing, but this black guy will tell you different:
http://web.mac.com/igarrard/Black_English/Ax_or_Ask.html

 

[shortylickens]

 

[erikistired]

it simply lets me know the person is illiterate and not worth paying attention to. if anything, it's helpful.

 

[CZroe]

Well you guys can be PC and pretend this isn't a black thing, but this black guy will tell you different:
http://web.mac.com/igarrard/Black_English/Ax_or_Ask.html

Where I've lived in San Diego and the Atlanta area, it's a black thing. In certain north-eastern places like New York, it's a random thing. Not only is this mentioned by some people in this very thread, but that's also why Futurama, which is based 2000 years in the future in "New New York," has everyone saying "ax" and them thinking the 20th century man is using the wrong word when he says "ask."

It's less funny when you know that "ax" actually *IS* the more correct word when you study the origin of both.

 

[M0RPH]

It's less funny when you know that "ax" actually *IS* the more correct word when you study the origin of both.

Not sure where you are getting this but I think it's a silly argument. Whatever the origin is, there is no question about how it's pronounced in modern english. There is never any circumstance where the letters "sk" are transposed in pronunciation.

 

[pankajs]

I have not heard that but it would bother me,
If someone will say axe instead of ask.
So my answer is YES

 

[CZroe]

Not sure where you are getting this but I think it's a silly argument. Whatever the origin is, there is no question about how it's pronounced in modern english. There is never any circumstance where the letters "sk" are transposed in pronunciation.

"Modern" English? Wrong. Both Aks/Ax/Axe and Ask are Modern English. In Middle English there were two correct ways to say it that each begat our two correct modern words (asken and axen). Before that, in Ye Olde English, there were two correct ways to say the words that begat those (acsian and axian). When the divergence first happened, if was due to illerates not knowing how the word was properly spelled, which eventually led to "ask." It is ignorant to think it is the correct way just because it is dominant when the correct way never fell out of use and evolved on its own.

There are several links in this thread alluding to it, but try this:
http://www.photoethnography.com/blog/archives/2008/03/ask-vs-aks-ax.html

 

[M0RPH]

"Modern" English? Wrong. Both Aks and Ask are Modern English. In old Middle English there were two correct ways to say it that each begat our two correct modern words (asken and axen). Before that, in Ye Olde English, there were two correct ways to say the words that begat those (ascian and axian). When the divergence first happened, if was due to illerates not knowing how the word was properly spelled, which eventually led to "ask." It is ignorant to think it is the correct way just becasue it is dominant when the correct way never fell out of use and evolved on its own.

There are several links in this thread, but try this:
http://www.photoethnography.com/blog/archives/2008/03/ask-vs-aks-ax.html

I don't need to read any of that. All I need to know is that the word is currently spelled A-S-K, and there is only ONE correct way to pronounce it.

That's interesting and all about the origin of the word, but it doesn't excuse anyone for pronouncing it wrong in this day and age.

 

[CZroe]

I don't need to read any of that. All I need to know is that the word is currently spelled A-S-K, and there is only ONE correct way to pronounce it.

That's interesting and all about the origin of the word, but it doesn't excuse anyone for pronouncing it wrong in this day and age.

All you need to know is that you are WRONG.

The word is currently Ask and Aks, WAS asken and axen, and was acsian and axian before that. That set shows, in order, Modern English form, Middle English form, and Olde English form, so you are categorically wrong about "ask" being the only correct form in "Modern English."

There are TWO correct forms in Modern English and "Ask" never would have existed if it were not for illiterates in the middle ages perverting "acsian" into "asken."

I have never used "ax" in my life and am not defending my improper usage of it. I simply want to recognize and share the truth so I don't look stupid when confronted by it like most of the people in this thread.

I guess Marina will have to do another one of her "Hot for Words" YouTube segments to get your attention because reading is too much for you.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

This thread has a loooooong future...

 

[CZroe]

This thread has a loooooong future...

One hopes.