The Jeweller’s Window

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30302, 30 November 1963, Page 20

The Jeweller’s Window

The Gymnast

(Specially written for "The Press” by

ARNOLD WALL)

The gymnast, the athlete, almost the contortionist, that is our tongue. “Ast him for the money,” says a rough character in an American novel. “Ast” for “ask” is not particularly American, it is an old English vulgarism. It is not always easy to understand why one “pronunciation” is harder to produce than another but in this case the reason can be made clear as I proceed to show. Why, then, is it easier to say “ast” than “ask” and “ast” than “asked” (“askt”)? Consider the exact position and action of the organs concerned, when you pronounce “s” you keep the tongue in its most forward position with the surface of the blade held close to the “hard” palate, not in actual contact but near enough for the air to pass between the surfaces so as to produce the hiss or sibilance. When you pass on from “s” to “k” you pull back the tongue and press the back part of the blade against the

soft palate completely closing the passage and so producing .the consonant “k.” When you go on to produce the “t” you must bring the tongue forward again to the position it held in “s.” but you now again press the two surfaces together to produce the consonant “t.” Now to perform these two actions properly, withdrawal and return, is something of an athletic feat and what so often happens is that the tongue simply jibs, refuses to return to the “k” position, and goes straight on by “the path of least resistance” to the dental “t.” Then, instead of “askt” you get “ast”; hence the vulgarism, which you see, is just due to laziness, reluctance to .make a certain effort. Your “ast" is, you assume, “good enough”; the listener to your speech “gets you,” he knows what you mean so why worry? Pursue this line of action indefinitely and what becomes of your language?