Ask versus Aks

Today while dropping Raelyn at daycare I heard a not-uncommon mispronunciation: “Aks”.

Seems as though every teacher and caregiver at her daycare center inverts the letters “s” and “k” turning a query into some kind of statement about Paul Bunyan.

Here, in image form, is a guide for those that are similarly afflicted with this tongue-twisting textual problem.

Ask:
Question Mark

“Aks”/Axe:
Axe

I hope this visual reference clears things up.

That is all.

9 thoughts on “Ask versus Aks

  1. This reminds me of a trip to the Louvre a few years ago.

    Youth 1 comes up and asks us – “Yo, where’s the Mona Lisa at?”
    Youth 2 yells to Youth 1 – “Where’s it at?”
    Youth 1 yells back with “I juss aksed him.”

    Nice.

  2. Thanks for keeping things light, Andy.

    It just annoyed me yesterday, as the people that take care of my daughter really do an awesome job. That word just sticks in my craw though.

  3. I am with John, I would be pissed to find out my child is hearing this portrayed as actual correct english. I just hope Raelyn doesn’t pick any of it up!

  4. For a few weeks she was definitely modeling this pronunciation. We had to keep correcting her.

    Even today she slips up about 1/4 of the time and we remind her about it.

  5. Richard says:

    Regarding /aks/ vs /ask/ for “ask”:

    Historically speaking, both pronunciations are valid and there are dialects of English where, yes, the /aks/ pronunciation is completely standard. When English spelling was standardized, well after the advent of the printing press, there was little effort to also standardize pronunciation – just a social trend to establish a hegemony of “posh” or “proper” pronunciation….
    Sincerely,
    RIchard

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