a question about people who say "aksed"

I know someone who says this, someone who I cannot correct even if I wanted to (not saying I would normally do that though).

I mentioned it to my DH and he said that it's an accent, not "slang".

thoughts?

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

LOL well.. i'm gonna be my speech therapist self for a second and say that in some cases, its that the person physically just can't sequence the sounds correctly with their tongue, etc. i have a couple kids on my caseload who also hear it wrong and thats why they do it- their sound development is off.
but, other times its either slang or just pure laziness.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

It's not an accent, it is lack of culture/breeding/class in my book. It is a huge turn off for me to hear a person use AKS instead of ASK.

Sorry to go on, it is just a big pet peeve of mine!

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

ok here's another variable -

the person who I mentioned above is SUPER smart - I mean seriously sharp as a tack, very articulate very accomplished, etc.

so maybe it isn't slang.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

it's dialect, not accent or slang.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

maybe they just can't pronouce the word properly?

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I have an employee who says that and also pronounces Salmon WITH the L.

Makes me nuts.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I'm african american and I have a very hard time with this word . I have a masters degree and I'm a successful project manager. It is not lack of education.

My husband is african american and corrects me all the time. He does not have a problem pronoucing the word correctly.

I am totally baffled that I have such a hard time with this word.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I do not think it is slang. I do not think it is dialect. I think it started somewhere and perpetuated through time due to an unwillingness to change. I could say the word over and over again in proper context in front of someone and it would never change. JMO.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I used to say "asked" incorrectly. I didn't even realize it until I went away to college and it was pointed out to me that I was saying "axed". So I made myself more aware of it and worked on my speech, now I can say it properly. Sometimes it's just a matter of slowing down!!

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I'm from Brooklyn, and although I do not pronounce it "axed", I do hear a lot of old-school Brooklynites pronounce it that way. I don't think it's a cultural or race thing. I just think it's a lazy-tongue thing.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I worked with someone once who said it that way. He also said "idear" used to drive me up the wall

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I grew up on "Long Island" and I always said those two words properly.

As a teacher, I often feel as if my attempts at teaching proper English are futile and it is very upsetting.

Sometimes, students go home to environments that are full of the misuses of language that make me cringe. The parents do their best to help their children, but I often come across legitimate dialectical issues that DO have an effect on grammar. Their performance on the ELA tests reflect these deficits.

Oftentimes, when a parent's first language is NOT English, it takes a much longer time to teach (and have the kids master) basic concepts. However, I still give it my all and hope for the best.

Message edited 1/30/2008 8:53:51 PM.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

Al says "axed" - it drives me crazy. He actually hates that he does it also and tries to correct himself, but its a bad habit.

Its not because he can't say asked, nor is it an intellectual thing (he's quite brilliant). I think he just grew up mispronouncing it - his brother does the same thing (English is a 2nd language for both his parents, one from Italy, the other from Germany)

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I have a friend who knows she has a problem. She can say 'ask' but when she has to put it in the past tense, it turns to 'aksed' and she admits that she just can't say it. She is conscious of it and is embarassed and tries hard to fix it.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

It drives me nuts....

almost as nuts when I hear someone calling a toilet a TER LET....

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

According to my father its conditioning and laziness.

My father and mother both had a heavy spanish accent and didn't want my brother and me to have the same.

We were never allowed slang/lazy speech.

I use slang (of course) and I can slip into a Texan draw pretty easily.

AKS became big with Ebonics if you remember that and it became a point of pride to mispronouce it (says my black friend). But as my friend's mother is a teacher, she was never allowed to mispronouce it either.

*shrug* believe what you want, I guess. If I have children (and I'm working on it) this is something my husband and I have both spoken deeply about - our children's education and home environment.

Means I have to stop calling the butter knife a "KA-nif"


Edit: apparently watching south park makes me unable to spell!!! LOL

Message edited 1/30/2008 9:35:29 PM.

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

Posted by VegasLisa

It drives me nuts....

almost as nuts when I hear someone calling a toilet a TER LET....

Re: a question about people who say "aksed"

I vote it's a mispronounciation, but based on the definition below could also fall under dialect.

dialect
3 entries found.

Main Entry: di·a·lect
1 a: a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language <the Doric dialect of ancient Greek>

b: one of two or more cognate languages <French and Italian are Romance dialects>

c: a variety of a language used by the members of a group <such dialects as politics and advertising — Philip Howard>

d: a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (as social class) <spoke a rough peasant dialect> e: register 4c f: a version of a computer programming language

2: manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology

Source


What it definitely is NOT is stupidity. I dated someone with a 3.9 average at Fordham & top of his class at law school. He said aksed. All of his friends said it the same way. Drove me nuts for the 2 years I dated him, but I learned not to judge intelligence by the way someone spoke.

to the OP: I"m sure the person is aware of it & is bothered by it too. Continue with the silent cringe.