How do you pronounce this word? Do you say "ay-men" or "ah-men"?
"amen"
I usually hear (and say) "ay-men", but I've heard it the other way too. I'm pretty sure the other way is more etymologically correct, as well.
You hear both ways, even in Texas it's fairly idiomatic... I tend to say "ah-men" but my parents tend to say "ay-men."
The pronunciation may depend on context. In the sentence "Amen to that" (meaning strong support or agreement), I think you'd normally hear "ay-men. At the end of a religious statement like "The
Lord bless thee and keep thee ...... both now and evermore. Amen.", I think you'd more typically hear "ah-men".
Lord bless thee and keep thee ...... both now and evermore. Amen.", I think you'd more typically hear "ah-men".
Yes, when an attempt is made to sound respectable or pious, then ah-men can be heard, but not 100% of the time. More like 10-30%. Also, ah-men can come off as phoney, esp. when it's not the speaker's natural pronunciation.
In usual usage it's pronounced ay-men, especially in the US.
In usual usage it's pronounced ay-men, especially in the US.