# Usage of "trying" I've noticed recently (AAVE?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [June 14, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184 "2022-06-14T20:31:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184/1 "2022-06-14T20:31:03Z")
I have recently started noticed this use of “trying” that I was unaccustomed to. So far, it seems like it appears in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). Example I just encountered: “I’m not trying to wait eight months to get that.” Is it exactly equivalent to “I don’t want to wait eight months”? Or are there other nuances here? Does anyone know the history of this usage? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184/2 "2022-06-14T20:33:30Z")
I’ve heard that usage for a long time. I agree that it’s part of AAVE. I’m not an AAVE speaker, but I’ve never noticed a distinction between that usage of “not trying” and “don’t want to”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184/3 "2022-06-14T20:36:05Z")
“I’m not trying to wait eight months” means that you have no intention of taking actions that will contribute to that wait. It is more descriptive than “I don’t want to wait eight months.” ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184/4 "2022-06-14T20:37:19Z")
Yep, it’s pretty much what it sounds like. Whatever is being considered just isn’t worth the effort. It’s often used facetiously, so context and discernment are important. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184/5 "2022-06-14T20:48:00Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “I’m not trying to wait eight months to get that.” I’ve never personally encountered “trying” in that context, but I use a very similar construction: “I’m not planning to wait eight months to get that.” The usage, as @Johnny_Bravo noted, includes the connotation that not only am I not waiting, I’m not putting forth the preliminary effort (planning\*) to wait. It’s semantic enhancement for emphasis. \* even when an activity cannot rationally be planned for ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184/6 "2022-06-14T21:40:21Z")
It seems to have been used in an unaired part of the theme song for the original Fresh Prince of Bel Air TV show (“I ain’t trying to get arrested”). So its origin is 1990 or earlier. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Qz253RXKi0U/maxresdefault.jpg "Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air (Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz253RXKi0U) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184/7 "2022-06-14T21:48:20Z")
That usage is not something I’d even notice as being remarkable, and I’m a middle-aged white guy (46). That said, where I live (Chicago), there’s a lot of urban slang that I don’t notice. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-trying-ive-noticed-recently-aave/966184/8 "2022-06-14T22:04:39Z")
Seen it on occasion. It could be redirected as a question, “Do you think I’m trying to wait 8 months to get that?”. It’s sarcasm.