Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 09:42:08 -0500 From: Ron Butters Subject: Re: "Hit" (was Appalacian [sic] languages) Terry asks: >My question is, does the metathetical >pronunciation of "ask" >characteristic of AAVE preserve an >earlier form, or does it reflect a >contemporary performance transposition? Since both ACSIAN and ASCIAN are found in Old English, my guess is that the variation has always been there. My memory is that one finds both in 19th and 20th century British dialects--i.e., it appears to be widespread and common throughout history. In ddition, of course, it could continue to be reinforced by being continually "reinvented" in the child-language acquistion process. In other words, Terry's question cannot be answered because the situation is not an either/or one. By the way (as Don Lance notes), AKS/ASK is not (I think) any more characteristic of AAVE than of many other contemporary dialects of English. As for D. Long's question about AST (pres.), this ils certainly common in white speech in North Carolina. Will someone plese go check Orton and see if it is found in English dialects as well?