Let me "axe" you a question

[NoMoreRedInk]

When you hear people say "axe" instead of ask, does it sound ignorant to you?

Normally, I don't even notice it or maybe I just don't hear it often in my highly educated Chapel Hill town, but I was on a plane and the pilot informed us to "axe the gate attendant about connecting flights" and it bothered me. Frightened me, in fact. I would expect a pilot, who is shepherding a couple hundred of people through the air at Mach .6 to have an outstanding grasp of the language and to inspire confidence in those who are depending on him for safe passage.

If a gas station attendant "axed" me to turn my car off, then no problem.

If my brain surgeon "axed" if I had any questions prior to him putting me under, then I'd get up and leave and never come back.

Is it ignorant sounding to you, or am I just being overly analytical?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. yes

i hate it...it drives me insane...

[Roaming]

2. I've heard it; I think it's a cultural thing with the black community...

I'm sure others use it this way, too, but mostly I've heard it from black people.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. no i think its a regional issue

not a black thing..i have mainly heard it from non black people

[Gman]

12. Yes, it seems to be a Southeastern thing

but no where near all SE'ners.

[arwalden]

49. The Character "Ray Barone" Says It (Everybody Loves Raymond)

[Limbought]

41. Black, White, Yellow, Pink, Brown ........

it makes the speaker appear uneducated.

[camero]

3. Let me "ass" you a question.

Heard that one too. :D

[jean]

4. yes - it makes me want to ex-gape the situation (hehe)

[nini]

5. to a point - yes.. But I do realize it can be a regional thing..

so I don't let it make me too crazy.

If they say 'ax', 'ain't' and all kinds of other grammatical no-nos.. then I would say they are uneducated or just lazy to speak correctly.

[chascaz]

8. Like in Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey...

I think they "axe" questions, being Loggers and all. What bothers me is when people start everything with "like." Like in that subject line up there, or this sentence.

NO BUSH - KNOW PEACE

[neoteric lefty]

24. its best

when they insert 'like' into the middle of a thought, then stop after the work 'like' and then resume with another 'like'. 2 likes in a row cancels out I guess.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. I don't think colloquialisms are sign of ignorance

and really can't imagine why it would invoke fear in you unless there is another agenda?

Is this thread code talk for something?

[Roaming]

9. I think the poster is just trying to say that poor grammar

in someone, especially someone in whom you entrust your life, makes you feel a bit uneasy because it's natural to assume that they are not educated/intelligent, etc.

[Not Me]

10. Just like a President

who cannot pronounce the word nuclear, as in bomb.

[LDS Jock]

42. or pronounce

terror.. not tara

[Roaming]

55. Which highlights the point that even the president is criticized if

he cannot pronounce words correctly. Grammar's important.

[ProudGerman]

11. c'mon

Is this thread code talk for something?

Isn't this code talk for calling someone racist?

[Skittles]

23. sorry

I want my pilot to speak intelligently. And yes, AXE sounds utterly ridiculous to a lot of us. But then, so does:

AIR (for our)
ARE (for or)
ERA (for error)
WINDA (for window)

Sure it's regional but it sounds f***ing stupid.

[tishaLA]

13. This is a very common dialect difference in

AAVE (African American Vernacular English). Some linguists have suggested that it is a continuation of vowel and consonant patterns from Africa, while others think it is just a function of evolved community standards. Whatever the case, it has appeared in written transcriptions of AAVE since the mid-18th century, through slavery and reconstruction, up to today. That is now has "spread" to some white communities probably demonstrates the increasing importance of AAVE on non-African Americans, especially in the south and urban areas.

On edit: to answer your last question, you are not being analytical at all, in fact. Precisely the opposite.

[arcane1]

14. doesn't really bother me too much

I'm from the South, where nearly everyone talks in some way that others deem ignorant or uneducated. I don't even notice it anymore.

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. Naaaaa. Small potatoes. Many people have trouble with the English

language. It doesn't make them necessarily stupid. Street smarts and common sense count for a lot in my book. :hi:

[DrWeird]

16. Them who live in glass houses sh'dn't throw stones.

Thet said, somebody fum No'th Carolina sh'dn't be makin' fun of other varmintss dialecks.

[NashVegas]

17. No, I Just Think They're From New Jersey

A family member grew up in Northern NJ and axes us questions and shares idears all the time.

And it's NOT necessarily an African American thing.

[tishaLA]

18. Primarily though. It has a long history as a

notable, and consistent, dialect marker.

[frylock]

19. ast your doctor..

what's that about?! I've heard both Dan Reeves and Mike Ditka say "ast" in some heart or boner med commercial. Is that an NFL thing?

[yorgatron]

22. english=dumbest language EVER

illogical,constantly changing,full of stupid nit-picky idiotic rules.who cares? as long as i understand the gist of what people are saying i could care less.

[camero]

25. Well

It's alot better than "axe your doctor". :D

Though I'm sure some would like to do that. :)

[DemoTex]

20. As a retired airline pilot, I have an idea.

I've flown with some bozos over the years. But I have never flown with anyone who would use the term "axe" for "ask". First, and foremost, the term "axe" is often used in racial jokes. That alone, would keep pilots from using "axe" for "ask" in a PA announcement. It would be job suicide.

My idea is that you heard a voice that was distorted over the aircraft PA system. An aircraft PA system ain't HI-FI. I once made a PA announcement that it was snowing at our destination, Buffalo (hello?!). After holding for 25 minutes to shoot a Cat II approach (the visibility was 1400 feet), we finally made it in with a 25-knot blizzard blowing. I made a grease-job landing and was feeling pretty good about getting in, as I buh-by-ed the passengers, until one really irate woman lit into me. "You said low wind in Buffalo! Low wind! You call this low-wind?"

"Snowing" sounds a bit like "low wind" on a scratchy aircraft PA system. That's why, during an emergency, everything is repeated several times: "Attention! This is the captain! Attention! This is the captain! Evacuate! Evacuate! Evacuate!" That way you understand, unequivocally, what I mean. Which side of the aircraft should you evacuate on? I might have an idea, but unless it is compelling (the tower tells me that the entire right side of the aircraft is in flames), I'll defer to the professional opinion of the flight attendants. Because about that time they will start screaming at YOU!, YOU!, and YOU!. Mr. You. Be ready to help.

[NightTrain]

21. It annoys the fuck out of me!

Perhaps it shouldn't, but it does. :shrug:

[Heyo]

26. I thought this was funny...

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way.. I am totally down with people's language quirks.. I just got a little chuckle out of this..

This guy was getting arrested on the TV show COPS... I think for stealing a bicycle or something.. and as they were leading him away he was like "What had I did?!.. hey man, what had I did?"

Not knocking him or anything.. I just got a little laugh out of it..

Heyo

[smirkymonkey]

27. It right up there with

Noo-kyu-lar instead of Nuclear. It's like fingernails against a chalkboard to me.

[Heyo]

28. I know.. sheesh....

If people would just go to the liebary they could read up on this stuff!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. Evolutionary English?

Who knows how it will change over the next few centuries? What we might consider ignorant today standards may one day become standard English.

another example...
Do you "iron" your clothes; or do you "iorn" them?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

30. BEYOND IGNORANT.... especial in people who have been

taught better.

[Mrs. Venation]

31. I Am A Grammar Queen

I hate it.

[kevinam]

32. "axe" doesn't bother...

me as much as fixin'. As in, I am fixin' to go to the store. Or, I am fixin' breakfast. The 'axe' one to me, is just a different way some people say things. Just like many northerners call the city I live in Atlanter, instead of Atlanta...Kevin.

[Roaming]

56. Here in Wisconsin, it's "aina?"

Nice wedder we're havin', aina? Drives me nuts.

[question everything]

33. As bad as "irregardless"

No such word, though by now it did enter some dictionaries.

Correct word is regardless. From math: two negatives mean positive.

[Avatar13]

58. re: "As bad as "irregardless""

>>From math: two negatives mean positive

True, but in the english language, putting two negatives together is usually considered a no-no.

[Insider]

34. the problem is in my ears

not in their speech. i think the purpose of language is communication. and i swear, every time i hear it, i know EXACTLY what they mean.

can we really tolerate others' harmless shortcomings? without cringing?

[OneBlueSky]

35. one of my pet peeves . . . really grates when I hear it . . .

right up there with nuke-u-lar . . . I understand that there are cultural differences and all, but come on . . . it's spelled a-s-k . . . is that so difficult? . . .

[markus]

36. I went on down to the Audubon Zoo

and they all axe for you...

-Great Neville Brothers song, from N'awlins, where we axe people stuff all da' time.

Just don't wrench your hair in da' zink, and don't forget to put earl in your car before you go to pick up da' ersters.

[Gildor Inglorion]

39. And, really, is it SO much worse

than "ahhsk," as our brethren from New England and Old England say?

[Gildor Inglorion]

37. People from New Orleans

invariably say "ax" for "ask," regardless of their race. And while we're picking nits, let's think about "I could care less." This is probably the most ungrammatical statment currently being used. It means exactly the opposite of what it's meant to say, which is, "I couldn't care less."

[Mixxster]

51. "And while we're picking nits, ...

let's think about "I could care less." This is probably the most ungrammatical statment currently being used. It means exactly the opposite of what it's meant to say, which is, "I couldn't care less."

I agree. I was around when "I could care less" came into vogue. It was originally a sarcastic way of saying, "I couldn't care less". Over the years, however, it has become the standard and it's weird because it obviously doesn't mean what people are supposedly trying to say.

[Blueshift]

38. It annoys the hell out of me, that's what it does.

[MidwestMomma]

40. Don't say 'axe' but I always put a 'r' in wash-drives my daughter crazy

Can't help it, it's how my mom said and I say it. Fortunately, my daughter has escaped the curse and can pronounce it how it is spelled. :-)

I also say 'Did you light the oven?" WTF...I have an electric stove! But we always had to light the gas oven growing up. Old habits die hard I guess.

[mitchum]

43. This reminds me of...

The best "The Onion" headline. Ever.

[grannylib]

44. One of my biggest English misusage pet peeves ever...yes, I think it

sounds incredibly ignorant. Sorry if that makes me sound snotty, I just really love language and it amazes me that some people never seem to read at all, or if they do, they make no connection between the words they see on paper and the words they use in daily life.

[lazarus]

48. that's part of it

For instance, when did people decide there's an extra "i" in mischievous? It's not mischievious, people, quit saying it like that!

[grannylib]

45. "Expecially" and "excape" make me homicidal as well... eom

[arwalden]

50. Calvary / Cavalry

[jsw_81]

46. Yeah it's definitely ignorant

Henry Louis Gates Jr. (a black Harvard professor) mentioned this in a speech the other day: Why the heck did black people decide that 'ask' is pronounced axe? It's absurd.

The Onion had a little joke about this too. The headline: Ask Murderer Terrorizes Black Neighborhood.

[tishaLA]

47. Well certainly Skip knows

about linguistics. I doubt he was judgmental about it as it is part of what is considered (by linguists and philologists) a traditional African American linguistic pattern. He could ask John Rickford, one of the most influential scholars of African Americna English (at Stanford, and one of Skip's friends) if he doesn't know about dialect.

[latebloomer]

52. Yup, that "fustrates" me too!

[bif]

53. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said..."Axe not what your city

can do for you, axe what you can do for your city." Totally embarrasing. I don't mind people saying axe, but if your going to quote somebody, get the frigging wording right!

[LWolf]

54. Other.

I won't say it sounds "ignorant." It does irritate me.

I don't get irritated with regional accents, but I do get irritated with regional grammar issues, like my good friend from another state, who is always asking if I can "borrow" something to her, instead of "loan" it to her.

Common slang that butchers grammar also irritates me. Like "my bad."

It must be the teacher in me. I'm predisposed to want good grammar, and it sure is easier to teach someone to spell "ask" when they say "ask" instead of "axe." Mispronunciation of words is a common cause of spelling errors with my students. This week's example: government spelled "goverment."

That said, I am fully aware that the language is always evolving and changing, and that my way is not the only "right" way; I don't judge people as "ignorant" if they don't speak my "right" way.

I draw the line of tolerance in the sand with words whose meaning "shifts," and all of a sudden they are supposed to be okay. I had this discussion with an administrator this year.

I have a serious problem with elementary school kids using the words "pimp," "pimpalicious," "pimp juice," etc.; I'm offended by it. I'm told that pimp doesn't mean pimp anymore. I don't care. I'm not amused at introducing terms connected with the abuse of women into popular culture as "slang," and I'm not okay with it running all over the elementary school playground.

[bushisanidiot]

57. It Only Bothers Me When Freepers and other ignorant racists use it

to make fun of people who talk like that.