Som - <em>native and proficient speakers know the differences quite well and understand when to use which version</em>

Yes, that's really the difficulty. There are times when it's completely appropriate to use slang words or spellings. Some of them don't even make sense if you replace them with formal spellings. If you want to text "Gotta go!" to your friend because you're leaving in a hurry, it looks very stiff and awkward to instead write "Got to go!" But in many other cases, using "gotta" is completely inappropriate. And it takes a high level of fluency to tell when these words sound okay and when they don't.

Alice - I'm from the southwest, and yes, I think I almost always say something closer to "wanna" than "want to," when speaking. But English spelling isn't very phonetic to begin with, and we usually don't write words in an attempt to imitate anybody's accent <em>except</em> when we want to emphasize that the person sounds strange, foreign, or uneducated. That's one reason why it looks bad to use "wanna" on a language-learning website.

For example, if a native English speaker says, "I don't want to go to the party," it may very well <em>sound</em> more like "I d'wanna go t'the party." But we would still write "I don't want to go to the party." Usually, we only change the spelling if we want to call attention to the way the person is talking, often to make fun of it. If I write, "I don't wanna go to the party!" I'm emphasizing the fact that I sound like a little kid throwing a tantrum. I'm acknowledging that my own behavior is ridiculous. It's not simply a neutral way to announce that I'd rather not go.

Alice, I think Som is talking about writing, not speaking. Most English speakers <em>say</em> "want to" as <em>wanna</em> and "got to" as <em>gotta</em> sometimes. A lot of people also pronounce "comfortable" as <em>comfterble</em> and "remember" as <em>r'membr, </em>and so on, with all kinds of other words, especially when speaking quickly<em>. </em> But the fact that pronunciation can differ in casual speech, dialects, or accents doesn't mean we should change the spelling when we write.

Dunno...

Everyone says wanna, gonna, etc in the spoken word in English. It’s as common as flies in a barnyard as we say.

Judges speak this way in court every day. I‘ve been a lawyer for over 30 years in California, and in court hundreds of times before countless Judges. Maybe even a few thousand times. I’ve tried more cases than I like to think about. So, in the spoken word, this „wanna“ stuff is standard English. However, and this is a BIG however, in reading many court reporter transcripts of those same court hearings what the judges have said is written differently. Example: I was in court a few months ago on a case. The Judge said, „ok you guys, STOP talking.“ (American Judges are not terrible nice to people most of the time, I’ll guarantee you you better address with Your Honor, or Judge, or they will remind you to).

The judge said, „I’m gonna make the following orders so I wanna make sure everyone listens for a change. My bailiff over there has a gun and handcuffs and if you don’t do as I say and I see you in here again you are not going to like jail.“ I ordered the trial transcript and it read, „ I am going to make the following orders so I want to make sure everyone listens....etc.“

I think this is what we are talking about.

Yes, writing and speaking are different.

Q: When are people gonna stop writing wanna?

A: They ain't neva gonna stop. Why you wanna make'em? (Informal)

A: When pigs fly and hell freezes over. (Informal, idiomatic)

A: Such behavior is unlikely to be extinguished so long as it continues to receive intermittent reinforcement. (Formal, academic)

A: You can't stop people from doing what they want. (Formal, journalistic)

My point with the multiple answers is to show that anyone can write in a unique voice without resorting to "wanna" and "gonna." I used it in the first answer for effect. I would respond in limerick too if I wasn't so lazy.

Q: Can a language teaching learning platform be considered as an informal place?

A: I think one's answer to this question is a matter of viewpoint: prescriptive/top-down vs. descriptive/bottom-up. If you're looking for a prescriptive language experience, something that tells you the rights and wrongs (based on an accessible and recognized standard), then the platform should be considered formal. If you're looking for a descriptive language experience, a kind of free-for-all reflecting variable levels of education and understanding, regional variations, spoken language in writing, and so forth, then informal it shall be. (Just try to stop it.)

Also, one could shift one's perception of the site from "teaching learning platform" to "social media-based language bazaar." I think the latter description fits better.

Personally, I don't want the "wanna"s and "gonna"s to end on italki. It provides information about the writer.

Edited: I misspelled "language" once and fixed it. I would've been unable to continue with my day otherwise, lol. I hope no one frowns too much on "lol." I'm actually not lol right now, just grinning mischievously.