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What do you think about this word? Please watch this video for explanation.

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    No I haven't...
    – user3169
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 3:15
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    As usual, Rachel's English is good.
    – user230
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 3:40
  • "Muna" isn't really the right set of sounds. There's usually a schwa or an "ah" at the beginning, and all other vowels are schwas: əmənə or ɑmənə.
    – Robusto
    Commented Dec 10, 2019 at 22:37

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I want to stress that Rachel should be careful when she says that Americans use "muna". I think she needs to be clear that not all Americans do this. It probably depends on a variety of factors, like the speaker's mood, or region.

I understand what she is saying, but she made it sound like Americans do this often, and that most Americans do this. I don't believe that is the case. It certainly happens, but I feel like the only times I've ever really heard it are in movies or tv, not actually in person.

Speaking of reductions, one that she didn't include and that I certainly usually frequently is "Imma".

  1. Imma get something to drink.
  2. Imma go to my friend's house.
  3. Imma fail this test.

Again, I'm not saying everyone uses this, but that it certainly exists, for your information.

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    I think Ima (which is how I would spell it) is more dialectal (non-standard) rather than a 'naturally occuring reduction' of I'm gonna, which is what 'muna' is--although, yes, not everyone says 'muna', and it is certainly used much less often than gonna. Rachel, by the way, does mention Imanu, which is "one step up" from manu but not the same as Ima/Imma (which I never say, as it is dialectal and, to me, substandard.
    – Alan Carmack
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 2:06
  • As another point of a data (native-US), I also will sometimes use "imma" such as "Yeah, I'mma go there with my girlfriend next week." I hear people use "muna" example: "Hmm... muna give it another try" but I personally don't use it.
    – Leo
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 2:29
  • @AlanCarmack I feel like I need some data on this, as it appears to me that I could easily say the same about "muna", since "muna" doesn't seem "naturally occurring" to me at all. As it stands, that seems like an opinion, not a fact. Further, "muna" seems just as "substandard" as "Imma".
    – Em.
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 5:04
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Yes, this is a genuine reduction, in such informal phrases as

"Muna get you."

This is a reduction of

"I'm gonna get you."

Note: Muna is only used when I is the subject. Also note that this is not used as often as gonna, which is used on a regular basis. Muna is even more informal, and it is not said on a regular basis; some people may never say it.

Rachel's English Youtube channel is an excellent resource. She can teach a lot of native speakers of American English (such as myself) a lot of things about pronunciation that we aren't aware of.

But as she says, you can just stick with

"I'm gonna get you"

as the natural reduction of

"I'm going to get you."

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    I've never heard "muna" actually used, and I'm an actual native English speaker. I don't think this is really that valid, at least in most areas...
    – Sam K
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 1:28
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    @SamK - It might be that you've heard it and you just don't realize because you don't think of it that way: you hear it and think of it as "I'm gonna". After all, even the President says it.
    – stangdon
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 2:26
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    I'm'nna would be much more common in varieties of English I run into regularly. But it could sound like 'munna in some cases where the I get's de-emphasized.
    – The Photon
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 2:27
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    I would guess that most Americans (if not all) have heard of this but it just doesn't register when they see it written.
    – Leo
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 2:30
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    @stangdon I will grant you that it does sound somewhat like "muna" in the president's speech. However, if you listen closely, you do hear the "I" in "I'm" and the "g" in "gonna." I feel as though "muna" is actually a misrepresentation by those who aren't used to hearing English speakers talk. The blame is also partially on English speakers, as we tend to lose articulation in familiar phrases like "I'm going to", which ends up sounding like "muna" to non-native English speakers, and "I'm gonna" to native speakers. (Sidenote, the president isn't the end-all-be-all in pronunciation :/ )
    – Sam K
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 3:01

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