> [mailto:CONLANG@listserv.brown.edu] On Behalf Of R A Brown
> James W. wrote:
> > FWIW, 'aks' is a pretty common pronunciation of 'ask'
> > in Belizean english (at least is was 15-16 years ago
> > when I was there...) Probably in Caribbean English in
> > general.
>
> It was also a common pronunciation of 'ask' in some Brit English
> dialects, at least until the early part of the 20th century -
> not sure
> if it still survives. In older dialect texts it is usually
> spelled 'ax'.
> Dutton adopted this form in his Speedwords.
>
> Such metathesis has a long history in English. Both _acsian_ and
> _ascian_ occurred in Old English.
>
> Such metathesis was not uncommon in former times. When I was boy
in
> Sussex I still people calling the _Vespa vulgaris_ a 'wops'. If
you
> consult an Old English dictionary you'll find the insect was
called a
> _w