formality - How often do people say "gotta", "wanna" or "gonna" in English speaking countries?


I learned these three words from Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.





  • got|ta /g'ɒtə/
    Gotta is used in written English to represent the words 'got to' when they are pronounced > informally, with the meaning 'have to' or 'must'.
    Prices are high and our kids gotta eat.




  • wan|na /w'ɒnə/
    Wanna is used in written English to represent the words 'want to' when they are pronounced informally.
    I wanna be married to you. Do you wanna be married to me?




  • gon|na /g'ɒnə, AM g'ɔːnə/
    Gonna is used in written English to represent the words 'going to' when they are pronounced informally.
    Then what am I gonna do?





Here are my questions:



  1. How often are these words used in oral English?

  2. Are they only used in informal speech/conversations?

  3. Do educated people also use these words?



Answer



As an American, I can report that everyone I know, even highly educated people, use these forms several times a day. People in business meetings, professors giving lectures,... everyone. Sometimes people are being slow, clear, and deliberate, in which case they will pronounce the full phrase, which does sound more formal by comparison.


My sense, as an amateur linguist, is that the problem lies on the fact that it is difficult to quickly turn the vocal cords on and off. (Please note that "gotta" is actually pronounced /g'ɒdə/, with a d sound) It takes time to slow down and make the change. In each of these examples, the entire word is pronounced with voiced sounds. These types of drifts happen in every language and lose stigma over time.


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