According to my linguistics lectures, “ax” has been a variant of “ask” for several hundred years.
Sounds quite painful.
And unfortunately I see an image in my head of someone inquiring of a person while using aforementioned ax.
Only by those who are too lazy to move their tongues in the proper way while speaking, if for nothing else than to be understood without a guidebook.
After living with and having quite a few friends of other races, I became quite proficient in “Ebonics.” I even got that “head thing” going. I’m afraid I’m out of practice, now.
There was a day when I was schmoozing with a local drug dealer (long story) who had 8 kids. Someone close to her “axed” her why she didn’t get a job. Her response was, “I went thu high school; I dun been HAD me a job. I do what I do!”