Attention rappers and certain South Londoners
It's "ask". "ASK". "A-S-K".

Not "aks". An aks, or as it is correctly spelled, an axe, is something you use to chop wood.

And whilst I have your attention; the phrase you've been looking for is "I am going to" and not "I'mma". It is not "uncool" to aspire to do well at school.
( blindmelon, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:15, 28 replies)

it's annoying 'innit?

( Bamboo Steamer, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:18, closed)

Etymology of "ask"
The word 'ask' stems from the Old English 'ascian' (about 885). 'Ascian' is a descendant of the Old Frisian word 'askia' meaning to request, demand,ask. Other early forms of ask are Old Saxon 'escon', Old High German eiscon, Proto-Germanic 'aiskojanan , Latin 'aeruscare', Old Slavic 'iskati' and Sanskrit 'icchati' to seek.
Barnhart's Dictionary of Etymology tells us that "The Old English variant, acsian, became 'axen' in Middle English and later 'ax', which was an accepted literary form of the verb until about 1600 and survives to this day in dialectal speech. Forms of 'asken' are frequent in literary Middle English beside 'axen' and 'ask' occurs in the late 1500's especially in Shakespeare."

So, to a certain extent, they are right, just 400 years behind the times...
(Blue_in_Exile, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:21, closed)

Well they are still right
If we accept that language is never set in stone and is constantly evolving.
( rofl harris, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:41, closed)

+ the fact that a great deal of Jamaican patois derives from 400 year old Scottish English

( wotofco pissing in your swimming pool, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 12:44, closed)

I bet you're a hoot at parties.

( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 16:04, closed)

I'm the one in the corner
reading the labels on the spirit bottles for ingredients.
(Blue_in_Exile, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 17:15, closed)

I've worked in banks in London
where supposed professionals used 'aks' in their daily dealings with folks. No one ever corrected them for fear of being called racist, I presume. Very odd.

rafter
baz
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:22, closed)

People don't correct people, not because of race
but because you'd look like a fucking prick.

People all across the country speak with different accents, pronunciations, slang, and colloquialisms.

Deal with it, you boring pedants.
(The Kwyjibo A big, dumb, balding North American ape., Wed 21 Jul 2010, 12:35, closed)

Imma agree with this
hard.
( wotofco pissing in your swimming pool, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 12:42, closed)

imma not.
it was neither accent, pronunciation, slang nor colloquialism. It was affectation. Unnecessary, futile and intentional in its' aim.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 16:10, closed)

It's actually something that is very common in the Caribbean
and, judging by your fear of racism, the professional was black, it would not be uncommon to think that they grew up in a family surrounded by older Caribbean people, who spoke like that. Making it perfectly normal for them to say that.

After all, everyone knows what is meant by it.
(The Kwyjibo A big, dumb, balding North American ape., Wed 21 Jul 2010, 16:47, closed)

and in Dublin,
my Grandfather would call that a load of bollox but he certainly wouldn't do so in the office even though, everyone knows that it is.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 18:18, closed)

Actually, it is uncool to aspire to do well at school, as far as I remember (it has been more than a decade)
But it's also uncool to work in a minimum wage job for the rest of your life, struggling to pay rent and buy food, let alone a fucking iPad. Then dying with nothing.
(sabre-tooth monkey, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:22, closed)

Fuck all
well in the paper it seems that those with fuck all get a 4.8m house paid for them by the council. That will teach me for almost not listening.
I aks ya!
(waxdart hello., Wed 21 Jul 2010, 12:07, closed)

stop reading the daily mail and your annoyance levels will significantly reduce.

( janet aylia y'all motherfuckers need jesus, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 12:19, closed)

Just yesterday.
Some bloke walked by me and I overheard him say on the phone
"I've so much ideas these days."

It was in a very laaan'don accen too.
(waxdart hello., Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:22, closed)

I quite like I'ma

( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:37, closed)

Oh god yes.
This drives me absolutely bananas.
And is the only thing I'd change about the otherwise fabulous 30 rock.
( Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 11:45, closed)

Yes.
And pull your trousers up. I don't want to see your pants.
( Amish Information Systems hates misplaced, commas, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 12:51, closed)

Not as bad as
My Bad. I always want to say "Your bad what?"
(Vinegar strokes Should know better on, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 13:20, closed)

Attention
rappers and certain South Londoners
It's "ask". "ASK". "A-S-K".

I do agree slightly but only when I hear people from Surrey and the Home Counties using this London slang....They deserve a slap.

Can someone also explain to me what "Bait" means? I work in Slough, most of the week :( and hear a lot of kids saying it. I guess it's migrated from London and means your are a magnet for a good police frisking but would like to know the official meaning to be down with the kidz.
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 13:29, closed)

"bait" means dodgy
as fuck.
(cypherspace is not a toaster, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 13:52, closed)

Cheers for clearing that up.
I can only imagine that they were stealing sandwiches as they were by the sandwich fridge in Sainsbury’s discussing the filling that one of them wanted, either that or they were using it totally out of context..
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 14:30, closed)

Well, "bait" in't north is your dinner.
As in a packed lunch is your bait. "bait time" is dinner time. "bait box" is the box you pack your lunch into to keep in fresh.

Also know as "scran"
( AzToTheRescue The arsehole formally known as Az The S slur, Thu 22 Jul 2010, 4:25, closed)

In the North East
"Bait" means lunch.
(floella, Thu 22 Jul 2010, 1:04, closed)

I'mma let you finish
But their/there/they're was the best pedantry of all time!
( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Wed 21 Jul 2010, 15:02, closed)

I'mma aks why, innit.
Haters gonna hate!
(Cloudane, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 15:26, closed)

Being incomprehensible is pointless.
While I do not wish to deprive our Jamaican (or whichever patois this is) brethren of their accent I think it is just bloody stupid to speak with that accent if you're not brought up that way.
Personally, I could go around speaking using the accent of the county of my birth -- but, oddly, when I do "foreign" people don't understand me.
As far as I can tell most people who say "aks" do so to be devisive, or to try to identify with a culture they were not raised in.
As far as I am concerned, anyone who chooses to speak in a patois is racist and antisocial*.

*OK, this is a bit of an over-reaction.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Wed 21 Jul 2010, 18:42, closed)