Ah-men VS Ey-men

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ljubim said:
Are you pulling our leg grace? 🙂

ProVobis and Bpbasilphx, :hmmm: then I wonder why we don’t stick to the original? We didn’t really change any of the other words, besides spellings… maybe it would be wise for us to promote Ah-men / Ah-min.
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We do not stick to the original languages when translating. It would be difficult to have everyone know four languages to understand Scripture. So we translate.

Like many other words, this one has two legitimate prononciations in English. Perhaps after this topic is resolved, we can work on “tomato”.

merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amen

Note that in the dictionary there is no reference as to which is more holy or more Protestant. There is likewise not Church document making such a distincition. Such things are artificial constructs that do not exist except in one’s own mind.
 
“It would be difficult to have everyone know four languages to understand Scripture. So we translate.”

Not only do we translate, but we paraphrase, use hand gestures, Venn diagrams, change tones of voice, etc. We can also use these tools to confuse people. I don’t know four languages (other than computer languages) but I’m trying to at least follow the etymologies of the words to understand what is trying to be communicated. It’s really no excuse to say “It’s not in my language and I refuse to learn” anymore with all the internet tools around. I say we keep the Amen, the Halleluia, the Hosanna, and Kyrie eleison.
 
I was in the habit of saying ey-men until I started attending the Latin Mass. Now I have switched to ah-men and use that even when I attend a N.O. Mass. :twocents:
 
ProVobis said:
It’s really no excuse to say “It’s not in my language and I refuse to learn” anymore with all the internet tools around. I say we keep the Amen, the Halleluia, the Hosanna, and Kyrie eleison.
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Are you saying everyone should learn the biblical languages?

We translate “Amen” into English, so either pronunciation is okay. If we stick to the original, both or wrong.
 
Petergee said:
Maybe not, but I was taught that Catholics are MIFs (putting the milk in the cup first before the tea) and Protestants are TIFs (pour the tea, then put the milk in it).
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Oh, no. All these years, I’ve been drinking my tea Anglican? Oh, well, it has been in Oregon and California. Since 99% of the residents couldn’t make a proper cup of tea with a gun to their heads, I doubt if I gave any scandal.
 
Phemie said:
The toilet seat with lid was invented for the same reason.
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So charity might be stretched during the debate about whether or not Providence ever intended these lids to be covered in faux fur… 😃
 
“Are you saying everyone should learn the biblical languages?”

At least some of the words and phrases.
 
ProVobis said:
How did this thread end up in the bathroom? 🙂
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Is there anywhere that the choice between charity and the desire to be right is not in play? 😃
ProVobis said:
“Are you saying everyone should learn the biblical languages?”

At least some of the words and phrases.
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I agree. We’re talking about knowing a few phrases in our religious mother tongues, not being able to translate the Bible ourselves from the ancient texts.

Still, even a respect for the rightful pride of place Latin has in Roman liturgies does not make me willing to turn the entire English language over to the Anglicans. What is more Catholic than being able to say “Amen” in every language known to man? 😃
 
EasterJoy said:
Still, even a respect for the rightful pride of place Latin has in Roman liturgies does not make me willing to turn the entire English language over to the Anglicans. What is more Catholic than being able to say “Amen” in every language known to man?
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Amen to that. “Amen” is the most widely understood and used word on Earth, being known and used by all Jews, Christians and Moslems. Let’s not dilute this wonderful ecumenism by insisting on the overly anglicised pronunciation ey-men. The “great vowel shift” occurred only in English. “Ah-men” is much closer to the original Hebrew word and to the pronunciations which non-English speakers use.
 
EasterJoy said:
Spoken as “ey”, but sung as “ah” in our parts. I always took this as the English version being spoken and the Latin version being sung because the “ah” makes a more pleasing melody sound, especially if held in a long note.

Having said that, this a poTAYto/poTAHto debate if I ever heard one. Say it the way that feels right, dictate one or the other be used by the choir, that makes sense, but reading any substantial theological meaning into the question would be over the top. You may as well say there is a Catholic and a Protestant way to hang toilet paper.
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:amen:
 
EasterJoy said:
So charity might be stretched during the debate about whether or not Providence ever intended these lids to be covered in faux fur… 😃
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Shudder!! No faux fur anything should ever see the inside of a bathroom.
 
Petergee said:
Amen to that. “Amen” is the most widely understood and used word on Earth, being known and used by all Jews, Christians and Moslems. Let’s not dilute this wonderful ecumenism by insisting on the overly anglicised pronunciation ey-men. The “great vowel shift” occurred only in English. “Ah-men” is much closer to the original Hebrew word and to the pronunciations which non-English speakers use.
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Who is insisting on a single pronunciation? Besides, you speak of languages as if each had only one way to pronounce things. A trip from LA to Houston to Atlanta to Boston would fix that impression. On the trip, figuring out what on earth “ey-men” means, spoken at the end of a prayer, would be the least of one’s linguistic problems. In the Catholic Church, if you can understand the homily, you are equipped to sort out “ah-men” from “ey-men.”

My point is not that the English pronunciation is correct. or even that English has a single correct pronunciation. My point is: how about we who are not choir directors not get too worked up about other peoples’ dialects?

(I am kind of partial to the “ah” when sung, though, but just because I think it sounds nicer.)
 
pnewton said:
We do not stick to the original languages when translating. It would be difficult to have everyone know four languages to understand Scripture. So we translate.

Like many other words, this one has two legitimate prononciations in English. Perhaps after this topic is resolved, we can work on “tomato”.

merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amen

Note that in the dictionary there is no reference as to which is more holy or more Protestant. There is likewise not Church document making such a distincition. Such things are artificial constructs that do not exist except in one’s own mind.
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The pronunciation could have been kept the same, but for some reason when people translated from Greek to Latin Αμην (Amin, with a long “i”) became Amen. I don’t know why people think the Greek letter “η” (ita) is pronounced as a short “e.” In many Romance languages, it was simply kept as Amen, but in Semitic languages (Hebrew , Arabic and Aramaic, etc.) and other languages like Greek, Slavic languages and even Japanese use Amin.

But, I prefer Ah-men over Ey-men.🙂

In Christ,
Andrew
 
Cristiano said:
How do you say “pecan”? :D:D
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In Texas, it’s pronounced PEE-CANS.
In the Carolinas, it’s pronounced Pih-CANS.
In Kentucky and Indiana, it’s PEE-CANS
In the Midwest, it’s Pih-KAHNS.

Go figure. 🤷
 
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