Imma
See also: imma
Translingual
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Written form of a relaxed pronunciation of I'm gonna. Includes a reduction of /mn/ to /m/ (see reduction of /mb/ and /mn/ on Wikipedia). Common in and possibly originated in African-American Vernacular English, but is used more broadly today. Harvard professor Sunn m'Cheaux says the term originated in the Gullah English creole language, where "a-" replaces "-ing" and indicates immediate future tense.
Pronunciation
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈaɪmə/, [ˈaːmə]
- Rhymes: -aɪmə
Audio (US) (file)
Contraction
Imma
- (chiefly US, informal) contraction of I'm gonna or I'm 'onna, both being contractions of I'm going to
- so Imma say 16 or 17, cool
- Winwardo (rapper)
- So listen 'cause Imma come out.
- 2009, Kanye West, MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West (actor):
- Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!
- 2017, Frankie Pamplemousse, “The No-Kart Race”, in The ZhuZhus:
- I told you we should have gone with the mermaid costume. I'mma put this on -- 'cause I'm going to the race cause I feel better.
Quotations
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:Imma.
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