Evolution of Language

[hells_half_acre]

I'm a language geek. Always have been, though I've never studied linguistics in any official capacity. I love the fact that Icelandic has Irish loan-words and that "sauna" is the only Finnish loan-word in the English language and we all pronounce it wrong.

I'm not a traditionalist though, the thing I love about language is that it is constantly evolving. It's true, some accents/dialects I like more than others...some changes I like and some I don't...but over all, I know that languages are living things and all living things ever do is change.

Most recently though, I've discovered my love for the new contraction: "Imma"

...or "I'mma" or however you want to write it. Popularized most recently by Kanye West - unwittingly. I've started noticing it more in things I read...and I've also noticed that even I occassionally say it. Usually my own speech is a bit antiquicated in comparison to North American standard English (I still use "shall" in everyday speech), but then again, I've always loved contractions.

I just love that the four words "I am going to" have been whittled down to four letters slurred together.

It comes close to my own personally favorite of "I'd've" which I use instead of saying "I would have" in sentences like, "I'd've done it, if you'd've reminded me!" ...see, it even has a nice little partner in "you'd've" (or "you'da", as I most often pronounce it)..."I'mma" doesn't have that.

Anyway...this post is pointless. I just felt like saying that I like "Imma"

P.S. Hehehe...I love this moodtheme image.

Comments

[traveling-storm.livejournal.com]

I only notice these things because I have to teach my students how to sound like fluent native English speakers, and that's hard to do when they say a sentence like: "Do! You! Want! A! Cup! Of! Coffee?" trying to enunciate every single word.

'Imma' would probably give them fits, even if I do find myself using it. :D

[jillsjourney.livejournal.com]

I was introduced to "Imma" by reading Jensen/Jared RPF. Many writers seem to have them saying it a lot; I don't know if they actually do in real life. I wonder if it's a Texas thing, or if writers think it's a Texas thing.

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

'imma' drives me nuts, just like, 'I seen/been". I always want to grab people by their figurative lapels and shake them while shouting "for the love of God, it's I'VE! I'VE" or "I'm GONNA!". It's not the contraction so much; it's just that missing words (or seemingly missing words) drive my inner editor insane.