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English is weird
oddtail:
Guessing from a linguistic perspective, it's to put more emphasis on the phrase. That's usually the reason why languages develop phrases that sound illogical and have redundancy.
"I'm gonna" has many meanings and it borders on a purely grammatical construction, with little semantic meaning (it can imply intent, the way things are currently developing, and other things as well). Adding "go ahead" adds a verb that implies active action and intent. "I'm gonna" can be used in plenty context where the person isn't even an active participant in something or doing anything.
(so basically, what Trillho said, but also "I'm gonna is vague")
EDIT: also, "I'm gonna go ahead and (...)" implies an immediate time frame, even moreso than "I'm gonna" in isolation, which again - is fairly nebulous and doesn't imply anything beyond the general direction things are going, and that something is going to happen soonish.
EDIT 2: also, never underestimate just adding words to a phrase to make it more emphatic and for no other reason. See also constructions like "y'all" (and even "all y'all") or adding "literally" to make a statement seem stronger. That's just something people do when a commonly-used phrase feels like somehow not enough.
Tova:
--- Quote from: Thrillho on 08 Feb 2019, 00:54 ---I say that too, which I think I got from America. It is a bit redundant but has implications to the sentence, because it implies giving yourself permission.
--- End quote ---
That gels with my understanding of the phrase as well. Which makes it all the more reason for it to be weird for me when it's used by a YouTuber on a video demonstrating something when the demo it's literally the reason I'm watching the video.
--- Quote from: oddtail on 08 Feb 2019, 01:52 ---EDIT 2: also, never underestimate just adding words to a phrase to make it more emphatic and for no other reason. See also constructions like "y'all" (and even "all y'all") or adding "literally" to make a statement seem stronger. That's just something people do when a commonly-used phrase feels like somehow not enough.
--- End quote ---
The emphatic usage idea makes sense to me.
Urban Dictionary has an interesting take on it (for a change). It indicates that the phrase is used to soften a command. This seems feasible.
If this is a popular usage, then it's only a matter of time until people start to use it when describing what they are about to do themselves on YouTube videos.
Morituri:
There's a little noise people make when they're startled and alarmed and I don't know what it's called. If it were fully voiced, it would be a "Yelp," and a whole lot louder. But it's a sharp exhalation, usually partly voiced, often accompanied with a physical startle response like recoiling or jumping back from something. I'm sure everybody's heard this vocalization at least a few times, even if they personally haven't made it themselves. What the heck is it called? A "reverse gasp", in that someone is exhaling rather than inhaling? A "stifled yelp," in that it's not deliberately or fully voiced?
What is a name for it that I can write down and have people understand what happened without further explaining it?
There's another little noise people make when they're annoyed, and I don't know what it's called either. But at least it has a ready referent. Marge, of the TV show "The Simpsons," habitually makes this noise when she's upset but realizes trying to correct the problem would be useless. It sounds like "Hmmm," but with a passive-aggressive intonation, more air pressure behind it and a constricted throat. It sounds like starting to say something and then mentally grinding gears as you realize there's nothing to say. If it denotes anything, it may be "unwilling but passive acceptance of a bad situation."
What the heck *is* that? Is there a verb for making that noise? Is there a noun that is the name of it? When a character in the theater of my mind makes that sound, what the heck could I write down to describe it?
LTK:
Grumbling?
LeeC:
--- Quote from: Morituri on 11 Feb 2019, 08:00 ---
There's a little noise people make when they're startled and alarmed and I don't know what it's called. If it were fully voiced, it would be a "Yelp," and a whole lot louder. But it's a sharp exhalation, usually partly voiced, often accompanied with a physical startle response like recoiling or jumping back from something. I'm sure everybody's heard this vocalization at least a few times, even if they personally haven't made it themselves. What the heck is it called? A "reverse gasp", in that someone is exhaling rather than inhaling? A "stifled yelp," in that it's not deliberately or fully voiced?
What is a name for it that I can write down and have people understand what happened without further explaining it?
--- End quote ---
Yelp sounds right to me here for some reason even if its not fully voiced.
--- Quote ---There's another little noise people make when they're annoyed, and I don't know what it's called either. But at least it has a ready referent. Marge, of the TV show "The Simpsons," habitually makes this noise when she's upset but realizes trying to correct the problem would be useless. It sounds like "Hmmm," but with a passive-aggressive intonation, more air pressure behind it and a constricted throat. It sounds like starting to say something and then mentally grinding gears as you realize there's nothing to say. If it denotes anything, it may be "unwilling but passive acceptance of a bad situation."
What the heck *is* that? Is there a verb for making that noise? Is there a noun that is the name of it? When a character in the theater of my mind makes that sound, what the heck could I write down to describe it?
--- End quote ---
I call it a groan
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