wanna
English
Pronunciation
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈwɑ.nə/, /ˈwʌnə/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɒnə
Usage notes
Much more common in first and second person and third person plural (“I wanna”, “you wanna”, "we wanna", etc.) than in third person singular (“he wanna”, “she wanna”), and subjectively judged as flatly incorrect for third person.[1] However, all forms find some use, particularly in song lyrics.
Rejection of third person singular affirmative *“he wanna” and *“she wanna” can be explained by “want to” reducing to wanna, but “wants to” not doing so, instead being pronounced approximately as “wants ta”. This objection does not arise in the negative (“he doesn’t wanna”, “she doesn’t wanna”), due to the absence of -s in the negative: “he does not want to”, “she does not want to”, and these forms are both common and unobjectionable.
Derived terms
References
- “He Wanna Be Adored”, Crooked Timber, Brian Weatherson, January 30, 2004
Polish
Etymology
Borrowing from early Modern High German Wanne or its Middle High German etymon.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈvan.na/
Declension
Derived terms
- (adjective) wannowy
Further reading
- wanna in Polish dictionaries at PWN