'Ask' versus 'Arks'

[Hooty]

I have noticed that some black people say 'arks' when they mean 'ask' or, if they are American, they might say 'axe'. Why is this?

No. I am not a racist nor is this intended to be racist (I have friends of all ethnicities). It's just something that I don't understand and wondered whether there is an explanation. Is it a culture thing?

[anonymous-user]

Dont know, but my future FIL says arsk instead of ask. But then again, he lives in hetfordshire and calls it that, unless he is using the abbreviation, then he pronounces herts as hurts

[BliarOut]

I always assume it's to make them look illiterate or poorly educated. I've yet to work out the reason why.

[phil1979]

'Tis the sign of an idiot trying to sound 'street-cool'. Anyone who uses the word denies this is the case, and say they cannot help it, but they are lying and subsequently look like fools. I have never seen Trevor McDonald using it.

Edited by phil1979 on Friday 5th February 16:15

[308mate]

Just slang. Its actually been part of ghetto slang for a long time, but only just filtered down to the 50kg wiggers wearing their dad's jeans around their knees and a replica team-shirt for a sport theyve never watched.

[tank slapper]

It pre-dates street slang and goes back to old English - Chaucer uses it. It is called a metathesis, where two letters become transposed, but it happened so long ago that it is virtually impossible to determine which was the original form.

[308mate]

tank slapper said:

It pre-dates street slang and goes back to old English - Chaucer uses it. It is called a metathesis, where two letters become transposed, but it happened so long ago that it is virtually impossible to determine which was the original form.

Everyday is a school day.

Repetk.

[trickywoo]

I heard a radio 4 programme on this very subject not long ago.

The axe as said above has been around in english for a long time and slaves in the US picked it up from Scottish and Irish overseers.

[Chapppers]

my old munter of an electronics teacher used to say it "you didn't aks to use that solder etc." one of her many traits that annoyed the crap out of me.