Nowadays, people often say “am” instead of “I am.” For example, they would say “am going” instead of “I am going” or “am fine” instead of “I am fine.”
This is also pretty common in text messaging.
So you may be wondering why people do this and if this is the correct usage of the words in the English language.
Here is Why People Use “Am” Instead of “I Am”:
Let’s admit it – people are lazy. In this day and age of modern technology, people are getting lazier and lazier. This is why it came as no surprise when people started abbreviating everything. This is why people use just “am” instead of “I am” – it is shorter to say and faster to type.
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When Did People Start Saying “Am” Instead of “I Am”?
The first cellphone was invented in 1973, but it was only in 1992 that the first ever text message was sent for the very first time.
Since then, technology has been evolving non-stop.
Ever since text messaging became a thing, that was when people started abbreviating everything. It was mostly because text messages back then were quite limited.
One message can only contain a certain number of characters, and there are extra costs for exceeding the character limit.
Also, people are generally lazy that they would shorten everything, including the words and phrases that are already short, to begin with. Typing full sentences is too much of a hassle, so they make shortcuts for everything.
Eventually, people went from text messaging to abbreviating words, even in oral communication.
Roughly five years ago, “am” instead of “I am” became widely popular.
People would use “am” when texting instead of typing it out completely as “I am.”
For example, instead of saying, “I am going to the party,” people say, “am going to the party,” and instead of saying, “I am fine,” people say, “am fine.” This eventually translated into actual speech.
It is faster to pronounce “am” instead of saying “I am,” even though one syllable is different.
Although in some cases, people were saying “I’m,” which is the conjunction form for “I am.” However, because of their account, it comes out as “am.”
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Is It Used in All States or Only Certain Areas?
Using “am” instead of “I am” is pretty popular in the United States, so it is not limited to certain areas.
It does not matter which state you are in because you would hear someone use “am” instead of “I am” in many places now and then. So it is not a question of location.
This is more of a question of age.
Regardless of where you are, you would find that the people who use “am” instead of “I am” are people who are part of Gen-Z and Millennials. And that’s because these generations grew up with mobile phones.
These generations grew up using text messaging and other messaging apps. These are the generations that were used to abbreviating everything.
Is It Dialect or Slang?
A dialect is a certain form of language used by people belonging to a specific group or region.
Meanwhile, slang is a type of language made up of words and phrases considered very informal. Slang also involves using certain words for a context different from what they originally meant.
The use of “am” instead of “I am” is neither slang nor part of a dialect.
While it can be considered an informal use of words, it is just more of an abbreviation. It is a way of shortening the phrase “I am” so that it is faster to say and type.
Do Other Countries Say “Am” Instead of “I Am”?
Not many countries use “am” instead of “I am.” It is popular only in the US.
That is because many other English-speaking countries are unfamiliar with American abbreviations.
People who live in countries where English is widely spoken tend to be more formal.
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Can You Use “Am” Instead of “I am” in Writing?
While people use “am” instead of “I am” in text messaging, it cannot be used in proper English writing.
This is because the word “am” is an auxiliary verb and should always be preceded by a noun. Starting a sentence with “am” instead of “I am” is grammatically incorrect.
Even though you can use “am” in informal writing, like texting or chatting with your friends, it will not be accepted in any form of writing that requires the correct use of the English language.
If you want to shorten “I am,” then use “I’m” because this is the grammatically correct way of shorting the phrase.
In general, it is okay to use “am” instead of “I am” in informal communication. It’s easier and faster than typing complete sentences when sending a text message to someone.
However, it is not acceptable in the proper English language and will never be considered correct in English writing.
So if you want to practice your English, do it correctly and use the correct words.
Sources:
Texting Abbreviations: A Complete Guide