Monday, January 26, 2009

I’m Pregnant for You!

That got you reading, no? How many times I hear people say ‘pregnant for’ when talking about a gravid girl and her siring mate! The elusive preposition to put some cheery decency into the situational biology is ‘with’. ‘A’ is pregnant WITH ‘B’, and not FOR ‘B’, unless the obstetric outcome is under a curious contract by which ‘B’ paid money to ‘A’ to get pregnant for ‘B’. It could also sadly mean that ‘A’, who is pregnant, does not love the child, even before the poor thing is born. If you would say ‘with’, then we could all go away with gossip and the hope that the coming child arrives to love and not regret.
© The Author

14 comments:

  1. Abena Serwaa26 January, 2009

    *LOL*LOL* You have made me laugh out loud this morning...my office-mate is now very curious. Great examination of some the 'Ginglish' nuances. Last year I got a bombshell phone-call where "pregnant for" was used...to be honest I was bugged more by the grammatical expression than the news.

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  2. posekyere26 January, 2009

    First time to encounter the expression.
    Gee whizz, 'pregnant for you' to me sounds like, as you described, a fulfilment of a contractual obligation for a carry4me pregnancy or a mischievous mistress telling you that she has played you and got you for not making the laison official.

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  3. Unknown26 January, 2009

    If you say pregnant FOR, it means he was an independent contractor. A contract for service, and not of service. After its over he gets up and leaves! Hehehe. Can't stop giggling! (Don't mind me)

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  4. novisi26 January, 2009

    i've tried to search my mastery of Ga, Twi and Ewe and i see the line in there somehow... "I'm Pregnant for You"...

    and then my response to her would be: for who? me??? i didn't did it! or... no, but i did only one?

    hahahaha...

    the trills of language! when it's spoken beautifully (correctly) it trills, when it's 'murdered' too it trills...

    @ Abena, i'm sure if i was anywhere near you i would just have laughed along...

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  5. The Author27 January, 2009

    Aby, glad I could tickle! The expression has historical underpinnings, I think. Something like once pregnancy results, then the guy has been irresponsible...or something like that.

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  6. The Author27 January, 2009

    Posekyere, the second scenario of the malicious mistress is scary-scandalous!

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  7. The Author27 January, 2009

    But, Kayna5, if the idea was for the guy to just 'finish it', get up and leave, the girl wouldn't be giving him such an accusatory 'pregnant for you'!

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  8. The Author27 January, 2009

    Then you must teach me the Twi version, Nov, for I only know 'pregnant with' in Twi. Even if the parents of a young girl are interrogating, they tend to ask, 'who are you pregnant with?', no?

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  9. novisi27 January, 2009

    hahahahaha...

    you would be calling for the murdering of Twi some more if you want me to teach you that.

    i have doubted my mastery of the languages... and now i do so even more... i think i only have 'broken' Ga, Twi and even Ewe ringing through my head with trills...

    cheers!

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  10. Here, There, Elsewhere... and more27 January, 2009

    The title of your post certainly stopped me in my tracks..!!!
    Never heard the expression but thanks - great way to start the day by learning something new..:)

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  11. The Author27 January, 2009

    Then, I guess we'll keep two lives and leave it at that, Nov. Thanks. :-)

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  12. The Author27 January, 2009

    Thanks, Here, there...

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  13. Anonymous06 February, 2009

    there could be something to using the preposition "for" - not as an error when you really meant to say "with" - but reflect the fact that there's no one else you'd rather accept to host a life for...

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  14. The Author09 February, 2009

    Then, Guess Who, I GUESS (pun intended) you are right!

    ReplyDelete

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