Are you gonna listen to what I'm listening to now?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the use of informal contractions in language, particularly in the context of casual speech and their acceptance in English. The term "gonna" is highlighted as a common informal contraction of "going to," illustrating how such terms can become widespread despite not being suitable for formal writing. The conversation also touches on the phenomenon of "physicist wannabees," referring to individuals without formal physics training who believe they can engage in physics discussions at a level comparable to those with advanced degrees. The role of forum moderators in managing the quality of discussions is acknowledged, suggesting that they effectively filter out less informed contributions. Additionally, the conversation critiques the acceptance of informal language in popular culture, questioning the authority of music lyrics in shaping language norms. Overall, the thread emphasizes the distinction between informal speech and formal writing, noting that informal contractions are particularly prevalent in American English.
symbolipoint
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It is also quite common, and I use the expression, to refer to people who have little or no physics background, but believe they can do physics as good or better than people with advanced degrees in physics as "physicist wannabees". It is used often enough that I shouldn't need to put in parentheses (physicist want-to-be's) to have the reader know what I am referring to. ## \\ ## I think the Mentors on PF do a pretty good job of filtering many of these, so that we don't get to see nearly as many posts from these types as they do. :smile:
 
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If we're going to declare popular music as authoritative for English, we need to accept "Is you is or is you ain't my baby". And "Lay, lady lay" should be "Lie, lady lie". Don't even get me started on "conversate".
 
Wanna is not a word in the English language. V50 is correct.

This might clarify how and why such abuse of written language began.

Informal Contractions
Informal contractions are short forms of other words that people use when speaking casually. They are not exactly slang, but they are a little like slang.

For example, "gonna" is a short form of "going to". If you say going to very fast, without carefully pronouncing each word, it can sound like gonna.

Please remember that these are informal contractions. That means that we do not use them in "correct" speech, and we almost never use them in writing. (If you see them in writing, for example in a comic strip, that is because the written words represent the spoken words or dialogue.) We normally use them only when speaking fast and casually, for example with friends. Some people never use them, even in informal speech.

It is probably true to say that informal contractions are more common in American English.

Also note that, unlike normal contractions, we do not always use apostrophes (') with informal contractions when written.
https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/contractions-informal.htm
 
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