Woman Rants About Black Pronunciation of a Certain Word – IOTW Report

Woman Rants About Black Pronunciation of a Certain Word

You don’t have to watch the video.

Boiled down she says she can’t stand that black people say “aks” instead of “ask.” 

She woke up one day to find that her rant was posted on some huge site and she was being pig-piled. She’s black, but that just ramps up the venom.

You must NEVER criticize black people, the most protected class of being outside of a snail darter.

If you’re white and criticize blacks you’re a racist.

If you’re black and criticize blacks you’re a racist.

Any criticism of blacks is racist. (Whites have never enjoyed such “privilege.”)

Aks drives me nuts, as well, but I don’t think this mangled pronunciation is limited to blacks. Every friend I had in New York, of the Italian persuasion, said aks. It really makes you sound pretty stupid. And, knowing this, but not correcting it, sort of proves you’re just a little bit stubborn or sluggish, no?

Now here’s the part where I’m going to be called a racist.

There is an expression that black people use (pretty much exclusively) and it is very annoying.

Here’s Maxine Waters using it-

The expression comes within the first 15 seconds. If you don’t pick up on it… move on… I don’t want to anger anyone. Just call me a racist.

 

 

 

95 Comments on Woman Rants About Black Pronunciation of a Certain Word

  1. A bit off topic, but she can say ten times a day how much we appreciate our military but unless you have actually backed up that statement by demonstration, then it’s a lie. So, therefore, she lied on herself.

  2. TV has the power to permanently program new words and catchphrases to 100,000,000 viewers instantly. SNL’s short lived “Valley Girl” sketches programmed an entire generation of girls, now a second generation of Millenials, who speak 24/7 Valley Girl with no idea of its origin or that English was not always spoken thus.

  3. It’s irritating whenever grammar is used incorrectly. Scoring student essays was both irritating and gratifying. Irritating because kids don’t learn or haven’t been taught the proper use of words. Gratifying because you can give them bad scores as a result.

  4. Forgive me BFH for hijacking, but this list is insane, it’s past time to put the mental patients back in the mental hospitals.

    This is just the top 3.

    1. ​Not All Pussies Are Pink and Not All Women Have Pussies
    Though “pussy hats” were the symbol of the Women’s March movement, “for many women, the pussy hats represent an erasure of women of color and trans women in the feminist movement—because not all pussies are pink, and not all women have pussies,” the session’s description reads. It says it will address how to better include transgender women — especially those of color — in the feminist movement.

    2. #NoMuslimBanEver: Let Us Not Repeat History​
    The program description compares the Japanese internment camps during WWII to the culture of “Islamophobia,” and says we must not repeat history by acting out against Muslims. “As the Muslim Ban and other recent executive orders have demonstrated, the current administration is veering dangerously close to repeating this shameful history,” the description reads, adding that it aims to “fight more racist executive orders” that may come.

    3. Confronting White Womanhood
    “For centuries, violence has been done in the name of—and even physically enacted by—white women,” the description reads. It invites anyone to attend but says the workshop is meant for white women who are committed to examining how they uphold and benefit from white supremacy.

    http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/25/six-insane-things-the-womens-convention-wants-you-to-learn/

  5. And sadly teachers are discouraged from correcting grammar or pronunciation because that’s … well … racist. So they just let their students speak badly because apparently speaking badly is a cultural thing.

  6. Replacing “aunt” with “On-tee” as if the speaker is a Cockney in My Fair Lady is another recent affectation. Never heard before about 1995, when Will Smith began using it. Now it’s universal “black” speech.
    Even though it’s new, not traditional, and nobody’s grandmama ever said it.

    The power of mass media.

  7. “…he has the most distorted leadership of any president I have ever known or heard about.”
    That’s an opinion, coming from the most corrupt congresswoman still sitting, high praise indeed.
    That’s not an opinion.

  8. Government sponsored Ebonics is the Left’s strategy.
    “Newspeak For Negroes”.

    Teaching Ebonics is designed to keep young black children isolated and condemned to a cultural ghetto for life.
    Denying them the actual English Language is intended to keep them poor, ignorant, dependent for life. Unable to discover (or even read with any comprehension) any literature, history, poetry, satire, etc.
    Diabolical. And diabolically effective.

    “Newspeak? In a generation, Winston, no one then alive will be able even to comprehend the conversation we are having now. Newspeak renders Thoughtcrime impossible.”

  9. The mainstream use of the preposition ‘at’, placing it at the end of a sentence infuriates me. Saying things like, “Where is the car at?” is the stupidest thing I’ve been hearing for a long time. It is mainstream now but I started hearing that when I was a kid in New Orleans. My parents used to say that it was only said by dumb “Yats” in New Orleans because it was an expression there to say, “Where yat!”

  10. The past tense of aks is, of course, aksdid.

    I aksdid you a question. Now excuse me while I get mah hurr did.

    Mispronouncing certain words a certain way is a sign of solidarity.

    Like when northerners try to interject “y’all” into conversations.

    Alternately, it is my opinion that mispronouncing some words is a result of poor dental care.

    For example, the introduction of “ur” into words where there are no r’s. Excurz me. Hurr did. I lurv you. How yer doin? Etc. Perhap from problems with the back teef.

  11. I don’t understand why teachers allow incorrect grammar because of the cultural thing/Ebonics. That may not effect the student’s grade for the classroom, but it does effect the score they receive on standardized tests. My company had many southern state’s contracts and never once in my 15+ years scoring were we ever told to ignore incorrect grammar.

    They are only hurting their students along with themselves when their continued employment depends on passing scores on these tests.

  12. How about all those self-important millenials on NPR who just INSIST on starting almost every response to a question with “So,…” – whether appropriate (almost never) or not? Funny part about how these things get started and how quickly they spread is it doesn’t seem to go any faster now that we have instant communication worldwide than it did back in the 60’s. A friend and I would make up strange phrases or words, start using them at school, then see how long it took to appear on TV, in common usage. It was about 6 months, same as now. maybe that’s how long it takes for repetition to overcome people’s basic education in grammar and usage, making the most ridiculous stuff acceptable.

  13. I get creepy-crawlies when I hear people use the word “concerning” in phrases such as “this report is concerning” rather than “this report is of concern”. Am I wrong?

    On pronounciation: I had an uncle who consistently talked about his camera’s “filim” instead of “film”.

  14. “People of color” — lol! I think it’s Carolla who riffs on the illogical grammar of that phrase.

    I think I’ve said here before that I have a now-elderly aunt who has always mangled certain words and she’s not black and she wasn’t raised among blacks, and she’s the only person in our family who does this. But she’s also never been particularly cerebral or interested in speaking well, either. And the peculiar thing is, she carries a chip on her shoulder about being perceived as dumb. Go figure. I think, in some people, there is no internal mechanism to connect annoying habits with people being annoyed with, or dismissing, you.

    The rise of so-called “ebonics” is a plague on blacks. I think some (a lot?) of their antipathy for whites is misdirected anger at blacks for insisting they “don’t act white”. In some screwy kind of logic, if whites didn’t exist, they wouldn’t have to deal with not “acting white.”

  15. I’m a white supremacist.
    Partly because they say so.
    I’m a white supremacist.
    Partly because they say writing speaking properly is white privilege.
    I’m a white supremacist.
    Partly because they say acting in a civilized manner is racist.
    I’m a white supremacist.
    Partly because they point to advanced civilization (not limited to mathematics, fine arts, etc…but you get the idea) as white supremacism.
    I’m a white supremacist.
    Partly because they say intelligence is white oppression and systematic racism.
    So, I’m a white supremacist, simply because they acknowledge my mind, behavior and culture are better than they and theirs are…and, who am I to argue?!?

  16. Oh, oh … as long as we’re discussing the “X” sound in badly pronounced “ask”: Can we get a proclamation against “eks-zavier” instead of “zavier” when pronouncing the name “Xavier”? No one says “ekszerox” or “ekszylophone”.

  17. I don’t know if it is solely the domain of blacks or black culture, but the single most irritating speech affect on my list is dropping the linking verb “is.”

    “She crazy.” “He strong.”

    Frequently I misconjugate parts of speech because as I’m writing I am thinking of one example of something that ends up being two or more and I fail to correct the verb. And there’s no edit function, so I just leave it rather than apologize for the error.

  18. Raycis! Y’alls are perpetualizing anomilities in grammaticular pronuncification.
    That’s cause Whitey done stole all the good words during slavery days, and denied the black man the meanifications to expressify their justificatious umbrageness!
    When y’alls die I hope you spendify eterniddy in purtagorical suspensification

  19. I think a lot of teachers don’t correct grammar because these days a lot of them don’t speak correct grammar. Have you heard some of them when they’re protesting for higher pay?

    Spelling is not a high priority these days either. I read teachers on FB all the time, I have in-laws who are teachers, so I see their stuff and fellow teachers who comment on their posts. I couldn’t stand it any longer and started correcting them on spelling and grammar. They didn’t like it and liked it even less when I said as a parent I would be demanding a different teacher if they taught my kids. These are not black teachers and they aren’t blue state teachers.
    I was blocked by most of them, including one of the in-laws, but then I probably really touched a nerve when I said if their writing skills were any reflection on their teaching abilities they really should accept they don’t deserve higher pay.

  20. British black people, from various parts of the former Empire but most frequently Jamaica or South Africa, seem to have no difficulty mastering and speaking perfectly the Queen’s English. Usually with a very pleasant, educated-middle-class intonation.

    Somehow that is not the case in the USA.
    The ostracism over “acting white” can be vicious.

  21. See Damon Wayans’ Oswald Bates routines from In Living Color on Yerturbe.

    Think of the Ehrmagerd girl from memedom. She pronounces words that way because of braces. If you have impacted back teeth, you might mumble or not open your mouth fully when speaking. Try speaking with your teeth clenched and you’ll see how some words get mispronounced.

    Phonics though. Seriously. Learn it, live it, love it. Learning phonics over whole word method helps speaking and reading.

  22. Axe, wiff, and exposed, flabby midriffs, sloppy, dirty Uggs worn with in all seasons with unimaginably inappropriate outfits are just a few of my irritation triggers.
    On the other hand, my 5 year old son, frequently, mishears, then mispronounces words.
    Squig
    Chicken Maggots
    Douche brat
    Except for the last one, which he picked up at daycare, I don’t correct him. It’s too darn funny.
    BTW he’s 25% black and can enunciate”ask” and “with” just fine.

  23. I heard a comedian say this years ago. He said he was on an airplane and his seat mate was a young black man. The man said, “Let me aks you something.” The comedian replied, “There’s only three letters, surely you can get them in the right order.”

  24. @BFH (at 1:35 pm): Actually “mixed deal” kinda works (as in the cards got mixed up, face-wise). Sometimes a malapropism will do that. I once read an article that described a body as “burned beyond reignition”. Yep, it probably was.

    One time I was having a conversation with a guy at work, and he said, “Well, that’s a mute point” (instead of “moot point”). I responded, “So you mean it’s not worth talking about?”.

    I don’t think he got it.

    😉

  25. I funna leave, I fiddin leave
    Sum on call sacuridy or we be neef a amb lance

    I can make out about every 5th word and that scures me.

    The big tell, Oprah, obama, well, just name any educated black, adjusts the lilt/drawl/lingo to play to their audience, which IMO is truly racist. Sure, dumb it down for the slow, lazy black folk, whip them into a frenzy, and tell them institutional racism is alive and growing in our country. Works like a charm, airry time.

  26. TO Abigail

    In Ebonics (serious this time, NOT joking…and info as of the time Ebonics began a few dacades ago…who knows what it’s mutated to since then…)
    the “proper” conjugation of the verb TO BE is “be” throughout, as in
    I be, you be, he/she/it be (you get the idea)

    *sigh*

  27. One of my friends in college was driving herself nuts trying to get over saying axe instead of ask. She knew better but just kept slipping up. She was smart as hell and knew sayin “axe” made her sound stupid. She was majoring in English, and that made her even more self conscious. I know she finally got over saying “axe”. She was too smart and trying too hard not to succeed.

  28. @Claudia
    I taught for many decades. Everytime a student would “ax” why I corrected them, I told them that the ACT and SAT were not written in ebonics. Many of these students were brilliant. I also told them that they would never be given an opportunity to showcase their ideas if they could not use English (tool) properly. They would always lose out and stay “victims” without opportunity. Many took heed of the correction.

  29. One of my pet peeves is the use of “seen” for “saw.” I seen it on TV.

    Oh, and Rufus, I went to a school in the 60s that was 80% black. They used On-tee for Aunt, so it’s been around for a lot longer than 1995.

  30. OMG Riverlife… that’s mine too! The second I hear “I seen”, I automatically deduct 10 IQ pts.
    Another that probably bothers me more than most is “anyways” No (s) required.

  31. CoD — hahah! Sad, but true.

    Comedian, Brian Regan (“I walked on the moon”), does a bit where he talks about language, too. All I remember is the punchline: “Where was you at?!”

  32. He ded, ha a masta hart tac.
    He’s dead, had a massive heart attack.
    Stermostat too hah.
    The thermostat is set too high.
    Gimme fire peg (match)
    You folks haven’t a clue, try understanding Geechee.

  33. Peanutbutterballs = Phenobarbital. Really. I was a Paramedic for 30 years heard it way more than once.

    Here’s a story. It’s true, I was there.

    Scene – Violent Domestic

    Upon arrival found approximately 30 y/o agitated black male seated on sofa bleeding from head.

    Upon inspection found 5 lacerations on head and contusions on the upper body. Lacerations ranging from 1cm – 3cm(approx.) Contusions could be described as minor.

    Asked patient what caused the injuries. Patient’s response was “b***h wacked me with the smoother”.

    Upon inquiring what a “smoother” was, Patient explained “You know. You smooth the clothes.”

    The writer of this report (me) and crew conference and decide that this patient was struck repeatedly with a household iron. Inspection of iron found in apartment shows traces of blood and hair. This is assumed by the writer of this report as the patient’s.

    Been 25+ years since I wrote that report. To this day everyone on that call will call an iron a “smoother”

  34. @JC. That’s too funny. Reminds me of a similar true story.
    A few yeas ago I was in the hospital for the first time in my life. They placed me in a room with an elderly black woman (93 yo) who was suffering from dementia among other ailments.
    Apparently her family members came home and found her in the yard, disoriented, sitting on top of a sprinkler head.
    She had no less than 15 family members visiting (visitation hours be damned) and they treated it like it was party hang out.
    The next morning the nurse came in and was stopped by the daughter, who insisted someone needs to clean her mama’s “Cadillac”.
    After much back & forth deliberation, it dawned on me Cadillac was a “pet name” for her hoohaw.
    I checked out AMA that afternoon.

  35. I don’t remember how old I was when I learned the importance of good diction and pronunciation. I was never offended if I was corrected by mispronouncing a word. Full disclosure, I am white. Correcting me was not considered racist.

  36. In my younger days, I had a brief (6 mos.) stint working for a loan company. One day a middle-aged Black lady whose family was behind on their loan payments came into the office and informed the manager that she couldn’t pay the bill because her husband was “decreased”.

    I remember thinking: Well, if he died, he definitely decreased by one, that’s for sure.

    🙂

  37. I now only correct people that appreciate it and are trying to improve themselves. I figure if I can understand what they meant we can move on with the conversation. The one I hear most often today is supposebly.

    Back in the 70s I went round and round with a white girl over if I wanted “salary” in the turkey stuffing. I gave up after a few years. I think she still pronounces celery that way.

    I married her anyway.

    The stuffing tasted great, but I always checked if a check was in it first.

  38. I’ve noticed the past few years I barely see the word ‘loose’ instead of ‘lose’, which used to be a daily sighting in online comments……..anymore. Not that there aren’t major boffos in current comments online these days. Just different.

  39. “Dat” instead of “that” is beyond irritating. “Am ba lance” makes me want to scream.
    The most stupid phrase (lots of variations) many people say, “How can you sit there and lie like that” is usually said to someone standing. Very annoying.

  40. I went to school in a Boston suburb in the 60s, when an education from Massachusetts meant something. And I was always a Grammar Nazi to my children. They hated it then, but they fondly remember it now. And use it on their children.

    The one word usage that irritates me is the usage of the word “kids” for children. I always ask, “oh, you have baby goats?”

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