Fw: Re: "axe" for "ask"

[raspears]

 Similarly, *lax* (as in bowels) and *lask* diarrhea,
an
 obsolete dialect term [see OED].

 R. Spears


 ----- Original Message -----
 From: "Peter Richardson" <prichard at LINFIELD.EDU>
 To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
 Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 10:44 AM
 Subject: Re: "axe" for "ask"


> > I think Ol' Noah had it right. OE acsian seems to
be
> at the base of it
> > all--although one (especially one without a
competent
> dictionary at hand
> > at the moment)  wonders whether there's an unbroken
> chain from OE aks- to
> > ModE aks, or whether the metathesis to ask already
> took place in MidE. In
> > fact, is there a double showing metathesis already
in
> OE (i.e. ascian,
> > acsian)?  That could account for both forms in
ModE.
> If not, who might be
> > the culprit who is responsible for spreading the
> gospel of ask?  Is our
> > old friend Bishop Lowth lurking in the woodpile,
> perhaps?
> >
> > PR
> >
> > On Fri, 3 Jan 2003, Frank Abate wrote:
> >
> > > There is a recording of this pron and some
> explanation in Noah Webster's
> > > (yes, the man himself) A Compendious Dictionary
of
> the English Language
> > > (1806), in the Preface, page xvi, paragraph near
> the bottom, in the
> > > facsimile edition.
> > >
> > > So it's been in American English for nearly 200
> years, from people of all
> > > colors.  Noah W says, "ask, which our common
people
> pronounce aks".  In
> > > fact, Noah goes on to say that the "aks" pron is
> the "true pronunciation of
> > > the original word".  Well, I don't know about
that,
> but Noah makes an
> > > interesting point.  The "Saxon verb", as he cites
> it, is "acsian or axian".
> > >
> > > Frank Abate
> > >
>