I'ma Tell You 'bout I'ma : a Syntactic and Sociolinguistic Analysis of the Reduced Form of I'm Gonna

Abstract

This study is the first to define the unique syntactic properties of I'ma (cf. I am going to). As an apparent contraction of I'm and gonna, I'ma is a combination that has yet to be understood syntactically. This study uses native speakers' judgments of acceptability to determine the rules governing it usage in different contexts.