“Ax” Instead of “Ask” Has Been Proper English For Over 1,200 Years And Exposes The Absurdity Of Prejudice
The “Ask” VS “Ax” divide is laden with class and racial division and has been used to deny people, both white and black, access to better jobs and resources based on a perception of low intelligence.
The pronunciation using “ax” has a very long history. The “ax” pronunciation has been the standard for over a thousand years. It is a regular feature of the English language that began as far back as the eighth century.
It’s in the first complete English translation of the Bible from 1535, (the Coverdale Bible): ” ‘Axe and it shall be given.’
Many books up to the 19th-century use the pronunciation “Ax” and it’s still heard in parts of Britain today. The verb is part of the original English language and had two basic forms, “ascian” and “acsian.” During the Middle English period (1100-1500), the latter form (“acsian”) became “axsian” and finally “ax” (or “axe”), which was the accepted written form until about 1600.
In the early 17th century, “ask” started to replaced “ax” in certain communities. The spelling changed and the consonant sounds were switched but the old pronunciation is still used in some parts of the world.
Oxford English Dictionary:
Definition of ax in English:
ax
(also aks)
non-standard form of ask
VERB
West Indian dialect
with object ‘I’m axing plenty question’
with object and clause ‘I axed him if he wanted some company’
no object ‘she axed about Mama’
Pronunciation: ax/aks/
Join the conversation! 11 Comments
I want to hear what you have to say
The lady doth protest too much, methinks
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You Stated — “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”
My Response — I prefer her over those who stay silent. I find sheep to be bothersome.
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Like it or not, employers hire applicants who possess strong communications skills, and arguing that’s being racist is a grave disservice to her target audience (i.e. young girls entering the job market).
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You Stated — “ Like it or not, employers hire applicants who possess strong communications skill”
My Response — like Donald Trump Oo
You Stated — “a grave disservice to her target audience “
My Response — Isn’t the opposite of your reply true? Isn’t she using the very dialect you stated she is calling racist? In fact she is very articulate and fashionable in the vernacular that most jobs seem accustomed to.
I watched the video again to confirm that she is only trying to educate people on cultural bias that wrongly slows the progress of intelligent people based on regions of birth.
As we become a more global community we will need people like her to break us free of cultural bias that, in some cases, can lead to real conflicts.
We just have to find a way to get the past those who prefer people keep quiet and maintain the status quo.
Just a thought
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I’m not sure what Mr. Trump has to do with it, but I’m always amused at how quickly his name works its way into an online discussion. I think I’ll name this new phenomenon Reductio Ad Trumpum.
And yes, it’s a grave disservice to tell those possessing poor grammar skills that missed job opportunities are the result of classism and racism, rather than a substandard education. It’s also ironic that she paints California as a success story, given that it consistently ranks among the 10 states having the worst quality of education in the U.S. — despite having the 7th highest public education budget in the nation.
As this professor points out, success is dependent on receiving a quality education and meeting the expected job qualifications; so that’s where the focus should be directed.
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Curious on how the word will be said in 1200 years. – no, not really
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Most likely it will be “Ac”
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Ack! Ack! Ack!
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Or Acs, those who like to have class distinctions always make minor changes. I think is lazy social prejudice but it seems to be the pattern.
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I like the “ack ack” from the movie Mars Attacks!
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Ahh
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