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I suppose, the title suffice as my question, however I'd like to add here that, even if so they are considered informal;

Why is that? and who determines whether a word is formal or informal?

Haider
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    Any and all dictionaries will explicitly point out that contractions such as ain't and gonna are informal. It should also be general reference that no particular individual or organization determines such categorizations in English. – FumbleFingers Jan 20 '16 at 14:38
  • Do the answers here help? – StoneyB on hiatus Jan 20 '16 at 14:42
  • You'd find it harder to establish that although contractions such as isn't, can't are also classed as "informal", they are *much* less informal than your examples (which are *extremely* informal, and will often imply "uneducated" rather than simply "informal, casual, relaxed"). – FumbleFingers Jan 20 '16 at 14:43
  • What if you present outstanding work but yet post such words and insert smiles in your hypothesis or ph.d and justify by saying that , ( Hey, that's just me ) or let them know, that it's just your nature ? – Haider Jan 20 '16 at 14:46
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    A dissertation or scholarly article is addressed to a specific speech community. It is at least a courtesy to follow that community's usage; and if you are applying for membership in that community (which is what a dissertation does) it is counterproductive to display indifference or hostility to the community's usage. They're not interested in your 'nature'; they're interested in your qualifications. – StoneyB on hiatus Jan 20 '16 at 15:09
  • @StoneyB The paragraph that you have presented in response to my query is formal and to the point. Your usage of words was something I truly admired. That, yes that is the caliber of spoken English that I wish to achieve and reach. – Haider Jan 20 '16 at 15:23

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The terms formal and informal refer to how social norms affect word usage. It is a matter of cultural convention (within a given group) that determines whether a word is formal or informal. It's a bit like formal and informal clothing: it varies between cultural groups and changes over time. In other words, usage determines whether a word is formal.

The authority on whether a word is formal would be the community of sociolinguists, linguistic anthropologists, and lexicographers.

The question of why a word is informal is a difficult one and arguably has more to do with social factors than with the language itself. For example, in many former colonies, the (usually European) colonizers' language is the formal language used in government and academia, while the local dialect is considered informal and unsophisticated. It's an interesting area of inquiry, but outside the scope of ELL.

Era
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