The History of Be Fixing To: Grammaticization, Sociolinguistic Distribution and Emerging Literary Spaces. The Be Fixing To Structure Not Only Has a Long and Fascinating History But Also a Highly Contemporary Presence in Internet Communication

An analysis of the expanded use of the verbal periphrasis, be fixing to, maintains that it involves racially affiliated sociolectal & geographic distribution patterns related to the 20th-century movement of African American English (AAE) speakers from the south to northern cities/suburbs. Although be fixing to was grammaticized in Southern US English in the 18th-19th centuries, the AAE reflex is more grammaticized than non-AAE Southernate variants. The lexical history of be fixing to is traced from its Medieval Latin roots. Its earliest usage apparently occurred in Southern US English in the 18th or 19th century with the elements of "decide" & "intend" central to the meaning as in "they were fixing to run away & get married." The semantic development & phonological variants of its construction are explored & instances of be fixing to & its reduced variants found in internet writing are pointed out. It is maintained that website data provide a unique perspective on various aspects of language that might not be so obvious with more traditional sources. J. Lindroth