You may have heard the word tryna and wondered what it means. It is a contracted negation that occurs with inanimate subjects, pronouns, and definite subjects. In this article, we’ll explore the meaning and use of tryna to describe its usage. If you’ve not heard of tryna before, then it’s time you learned more about this strange word. You’ll find out how to use it correctly, as well as common situations in which it’s used.
It occurs with pronouns
Two kinds of tryna exist in English, the definite and indefinite. Indefinite pronouns include anyone, anybody, and nobody. When used with definite pronouns, tryna has a more natural effect than with the specific type. Unlike the definite form, tryna can also occur with non-specific indefinites. In fact, many native speakers of English use the definite form in their sentences.
The use of tryna with negation is particularly common. Taverna and Goldberg examined 250 tweets and found that tryna in conjunction with negation meant attempting or a desire to do something. The word tryna is most commonly contracted, with the negation ‘not’ occurring before and after the pronoun. In addition, tryna often indicates an indefinite state, which is preferable to a contracted state.
It occurs with inanimate subjects
In some languages, the adverb tryna occurs with both definite and indefinite subjects. For instance, “nobody” or “everyone” can be used with the indefinite subject, while “anyone” is used with a definite subject. Regardless of the context, tryna is most natural when an inanimate subject is used as an indefinite subject. But what about other languages?
In African American English, tryna is used in conjunction with the progressive verb be. In one study, Taverna and Goldberg examined 250 tweets to find out when tryna is used in conjunction with negation. They found that tryna followed by a negation was twice as likely to mean attempting to or wishing to. In the same study, they found that the most common use of tryna with a negation was a non-contracted form. As such, example (37) is preferred over example (36). The tense of not is most frequently used before tryna, with not occurring after the verb.
