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Common stereotype of black vernacular is the pronunciation of the word "ask" as "axe."

"Axe" traces back to the 8th century. The pronunciation derives from the Old English verb "acsian." At the time, the word appeared in two forms, "ascian" and "acsian." By the 10th century, the latter became "axsian," which was shortened to "ax" (or "axe"). It wasn't until the 17th century that "ask" became commonplace, eventually replacing "axe" in literary works. Nonetheless, the pronunciation "axe" remained in dialects across the Caribbean and the American South (including some sections of England). Such usage was not dependent on race or class. Although its written form fell out of usage in the 17th century, the dialectic use of "axe" has survived into the 21st century.

Unfortunately, usage of "axe" has become a lightning rod for racist diatribes against African Americans, often attributing its dialectic usage as a sign of being uncultivated and uncultured. References to "axe" being "ghetto" is nothing more than etymological ignorance, respectability politics and outright racism.

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