Couldn’t be asked/arsed?

[purplebeansprouts]

Which do you use?

actually don’t think I’ve heard couldn’t before

I'm another one who can't understand how sure people are as to whether somebody with an east London/Essex/countless other southern accents is actually saying "asked" or "arsed".

because some Londoners say asked differently too.

Arsed

To me, it's like my partner saying, are we having a roast for dinner? I reply 'I ordered a takeaway as I couldn't be arsed'. Sounds like a good plan for tomorrow 😀.

Maybe asked is the decaf version so kids don’t get into trouble at school.?

I use the correct one, "arsed".

The other is wrong.

True.

Where does “borrow me” come from?

Indeed - but a great many don't.

A great many people - I'd say a large majority - from all areas don't enunciate very clearly either. It's just that, in this particularly case, their accents make it clear what they're saying.

Just like with e.g. a Cockney may say the words 'batter' and 'butter' in a very similar way, but most northerners would pronounce them clearly differently. Conversely, many northerners pronounce the words 'one' and 'won' similarly, but most southerners would say them distinctively differently.

Indeed - but a great many don't.

I never said otherwise I was just answering the question with regards to hearing it correctly.

one' and 'won' similarly, but most southerners would say them distinctively differently.

Would they? What’s the distinct difference?

Fair enough; sorry if I misconstrued you and argued pointlessly into the wind!

I'm not sure if I can clarify easily without demonstrating audibly, but certain northern accents would pronounce both 'won' and 'one' as 'wun' with the vowel as in the first syllable of 'woman'.

Most accents (across most of the country) pronounce 'one' to rhyme with 'John'; whilst most southern accents would pronounce 'won' with a much wider open mouth for the vowel sound - partially approaching the vowel sound in 'Ann'.

I hope that's somewhat intelligible!

I've heard many teachers in London (both primary and secondary) use 'arks' instead of 'ask". I had to correct my own children at one point as they heard it so often. So I can see how the confusion and mishearing of 'arsed' has occurred over time.

@TheHangingGardensOfBasildon I cant hear that, we need an audible upload! I say won and one exactly the same like done,

Well so is "would of" and "Chester draws", etc.

Who is we? Surely everyone who lives in SE London can't be ignorant of the correct phrase.

I’m just puzzled as to how you’re so confident which, out of ‘arsed’ or ‘asked’, people are using, as they sound identical in a London accent?

Scroll to my post yesterday at 22.38 where it’s explained in more detail. I’m “so confident” as it’s the accent that I have and people in my community have, so I say and hear it on a daily basis. There is more than one London accent.

Also some of us have seen “can’t be asked” written down…

I've always felt both were correct but I've also always seen people on mumsnet say only "arsed" is correct.

Those who say "can't be asked" makes no sense are simply living with what they've known. "Can't be asked" makes much more sense than 'can't be arsed', which comes across as more regional than 'asked' in terms of rational meaning to the outsider (someone who's never heard it or not used to it).

"Can't be asked" - Of course you can literally ask but I won't do it. Can't be asked to do it because I can't no matter how many times you ask.

"Can't be arsed" - Qué?

"Can't be bothered to do it" - Makes sense. Same as can't be asked. You can bother/ask me about it but I won't/can't do it.

Only when you're used to arsed/bothered as interchangeable do you allow it to not matter in your brain. Besides that, "arsed" makes no sense at all.

It's a bit different from "I'm not bothered" (to do it/arsed to do it). 'Arsed' still sounds ridiculous or regional but fine as substitute.

"I'm not asked" (to do it) then finally makes no sense.

This is all to an untrained eye who's not learned that "can't be arsed" is normal their whole life. So there's some overthinking going on about it.

I've never heard asked. I've heard arksed a lot in London. The letters have essentially been swapped around (metathesis). Aks has been used for hundreds of years. It isn't wrong. Just an evolution of language. 'Asked' I would assume people are just getting their words mixed up.

No it isn’t. Think is the correct usage, thing is incorrect.

Ie ”If you think [whatever], you’ve got another think coming.” - you need to think again.

People on this thread are getting their asked and aksed's mixed up!

But if people are saying, "I can't be aksed" they are effectively saying "I can't be asked" because aksed means asked. So "I can't be aksed" is just as wrong as "I can't be asked".

Arsed.

You may well be onto something here!

No, because they aren't referring to the act of not being bothered (arsed) to do something. Historically ask has morphed into aks in some dialects. It has now found itself replacing the word 'arsed'. It's just a phonological substitution. They still aren't referring to the word 'asked'. Once it's widely used it results in a dialectical difference, a bit like a colloquialism. It's how language works. If you compared all words now to what they used to be, you'd find lots more examples.