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I've been noticing this way of saying certain words where the speaker will replace the d at the end of a word with a t sound.
For example:
Callt instead of called
Ast instead of asked
Bat instead of bad
tolt instead of told
and etc.
But the question i'm asking is is this a mostly black thing? I ask because i've heard black people from different regions (Deep south, upper south, Mid-Atlantic, and North-east) using this way of changing sounds but i've only heard black people speak this way.
(btw - I'm black and I do it from time to time)
That's a Southern Highlands thing. I even known white people from TN who say these words in the way you've described. But you are right, many black people say them that way. I guess that gives some clues about the origins and propagation of these pronunciations. Both time and space wise. I reckon people in rural mid South locales probably represent how the plantation owners spoke and from there it propagated.
I've been noticing this way of saying certain words where the speaker will replace the d at the end of a word with a t sound.
For example:
Callt instead of called
Ast instead of asked
Bat instead of bad
tolt instead of told
and etc.
But the question i'm asking is is this a mostly black thing? I ask because i've heard black people from different regions (Deep south, upper south, Mid-Atlantic, and North-east) using this way of changing sounds but i've only heard black people speak this way.
(btw - I'm black and I do it from time to time)
i commonly hear people who drop the D but I rarely hear anyone replace it with a hard T like that.
So for example, people would say "Tole" instead of "Told."
There's also a timing change depending on the context of how you're using the word. For example:
If you end the sentence with the word, "I was told", you will hear that D.
If you don't, "I tole'im what to do", you don't hear that D... it forms a contraction with the object of who was told.
i commonly hear people who drop the D but I rarely hear anyone replace it with a hard T like that.
So for example, people would say "Tole" instead of "Told."
There's also a timing change depending on the context of how you're using the word. For example:
If you end the sentence with the word, "I was told", you will hear that D.
If you don't, "I tole'im what to do", you don't hear that D... it forms a contraction with the object of who was told.
I've definitely heard the d dropped completely but I swear i've been noticing that t sound more often after going to Bowie (MD) and hearing my cousin and her boyfriend make that sound change. I've mainly heard it in the D.C. metro and Philly area. I hear "Tole" more often where I live though, but the "l" has more of a "w" sound.
I've definitely heard the d dropped completely but I swear i've been noticing that t sound more often after going to Bowie (MD) and hearing my cousin and her boyfriend make that sound change. I've mainly heard it in the D.C. metro and Philly area. I hear "Tole" more often where I live though, but the "l" has more of a "w" sound.
oh, ok. well what i'm talking about applies across the deep south, to blacks and whites. other areas i'm sure it's different.
oh, ok. well what i'm talking about applies across the deep south, to blacks and whites. other areas i'm sure it's different.
Oh I didn't realize you were talking about the deep south.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffredo
I've never heard "ast" instead of "ask" by African Americans. "Axe" is another story.
The only person i've ever really heard say that in real life is one of my other cousins. The majority of my family says "ast" as in "I ast him/her" and so on or even ass-d without the k.
It's really interesting that BayAreaHillbilly is the only person who has heard this the way I have.
It's really interesting that BayAreaHillbilly is the only person who has heard this the way I have.
DD informs me that "ast" and "axe" were both commonly used by many of her black classmates in Memphis, but she doesn't recall them using the other examples you gave.
I've heard the "t" instead of "d" too, just never really paid much attention to it. "I told you" comes out sounding more like " I tolt chu"
I think some of my older relatives use it (Kentucky roots) and I believe I hear it fairly often from the older residents here in east TN
Ha! Just found this link and it's got an interesting explanation. Apparently the use of "axe" predates "ask", and the older pronunciation was preserved in more insular communities. (blacks and mountain people) The big book of ... - Google Books
Last edited by DubbleT; 08-01-2011 at 10:20 PM..
Reason: link
It's kind of interesting listening to some old folk-songs where they pronounce the "ed" in full. So "hanged" is like "Hang-Ed" with two syllables. I don't know if anyone still does that, but for a second I thought that's what you meant with "asked." I don't pronounce like it "ast" but I do think I pronounced it like "askt" with both a "k" and "t" sound. I was wondering how you do it with a "kd" cluster as I don't think I say many words that end with a "kd" cluster. (So I believe I usually pronounce "packed" like "pact" and "cracked" like "Krakt")
In fact it's possible the only words I use with that particular "kd" consonant cluster are compound words like "backdoor" or "breakdown."
That's a Southern Highlands thing. I even known white people from TN who say these words in the way you've described. But you are right, many black people say them that way. I guess that gives some clues about the origins and propagation of these pronunciations. Both time and space wise. I reckon people in rural mid South locales probably represent how the plantation owners spoke and from there it propagated.
Hate to rain on your parade, but the Southern Appalachian whites were by-and-large not slave owners (many voted against secession BTW, were Northern sympathizers during the war, and were resentful against plantation owners that were basically making the mountaineer labor cheap as dirt), hence no propagation of their accent to blacks. Must be a more ancient propagation of accent drift IMO.
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