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

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on the use of informal contractions in English, specifically the terms "gonna" and "wanna." Participants highlight the prevalence of these terms among individuals with varying levels of physics knowledge, referring to them as "physicist wannabees." The conversation emphasizes the informal nature of these contractions, noting that they are not suitable for formal writing or speech. Additionally, the discussion critiques the acceptance of informal language in authoritative contexts, such as popular music.

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  • Understanding of informal language and its usage in casual conversation
  • Familiarity with the concept of contractions in English
  • Knowledge of the distinction between formal and informal speech
  • Awareness of the cultural implications of language evolution
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  • Research the impact of informal contractions on language evolution
  • Explore the differences between American and British English in terms of informal language
  • Study the role of popular culture in shaping language norms
  • Examine the implications of using informal language in academic writing
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Language enthusiasts, educators, linguists, and anyone interested in the evolution of English language usage, particularly in informal contexts.

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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