They don’t really mean the exact same thing, or at least not in my dialect. “Fixing to” implies that the thing will happen imminently, not just in the future.
That’s a fair question. My most honest answer isn’t a very good one: I can’t stand it.
Linguistically, I don’t get it. “Fixing to” doesn’t seem to offer any benefit over “about to” or “going to” and as far as I can tell it doesn’t have any logical meaning at all.
“Going to” is far superior to “fixing to,” so I don’t know what you are talking about.
They don’t really mean the exact same thing, or at least not in my dialect. “Fixing to” implies that the thing will happen imminently, not just in the future.
Fair enough. I do think that connotation doesn’t necessarily carry over to the “gonna” and “finna” forms, but it’s a good point.
That said, “fixing to” still grates on my brain in ways I can’t begin to describe.
Why do you think it’s superior?
That’s a fair question. My most honest answer isn’t a very good one: I can’t stand it.
Linguistically, I don’t get it. “Fixing to” doesn’t seem to offer any benefit over “about to” or “going to” and as far as I can tell it doesn’t have any logical meaning at all.