The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-02
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A Ouestion Answered.

A prominent State official IN This CITY lag
handed to Us the following question that we
nay answer is is we can and VIII. IL was
addressed, to him: ssrassnI4.osE
"To which part of speech does the word
Amen belong as found In connection WILD
the Lords pray 7-Mdt., ch. ui., y. ID. we
wish 10 hear from the word Amen; not
from any word or sentence substituted 10
lieu or explanation thereof" ~, g+.. i.
I The following is the verse referred to:
"13. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver US from evil: For thine is the king
dom, and the power, and the glory, forever
| Amen" n.l sas Il ~ ..v. /
Evidently aamen " as here used Is not an
article, nor propoun, nor verb, nor an
adjective, nor participle, nor q conjunction,
nor proposition, nor an interjectlon. The
interrogation seems to have an idea that it Is
| noun, but az noun is always the name OF
something that we can think of Gas BINGHAM
says), and as we cannot conceive of amen =
as here employed as thing either concrete
or abstract, we will assume that 1t rs not
noun. No other part Of speech remains but
the adverb. ,..,,...-... ,,,, .a..t. Mann
Is" amen " an adye.b? First, an adverb
qualities verbs, participates, adjectiVes, and
other adyerbs, and, we may add, adver6ial
phrases land some grammariana say nouns
and prououns). But in the verse quoted
/" amen" qualities not one of these. 1t Is the
mistaken supposition that it qualities the
whole sentence which has caused gram una
rians to class it amongst adVerbs las 1t is
classed by some English, French, Spanish,
and German ,writers). .>r~-.i, ~.
Secondly. AdYerbs are used as to time, TO
place, to degree, and to the quo modo-the
how. In the verse quoted 1t performs no
such office. It relates not to time, nor TO
place, nor to degree, nor to the hoo. ~.
Thirdly. Grammatical parts of speech are
characterized by their relatively. What are
the parts of speech in the following line:
"sinner,"'. lhe,' q" saint" /" man, that"
POPE uses skinner" and "saint" as
verbs. Every naval officer uses imam as
verb. Every grammarian uses "the" as
noun. And "that" may be either noun,
relative rronoup, demonstratiye adjective
pronoun, or a conjunction. So the words
last above quoted are not parts of speech at
all, AS the other words in a sentence show
to what part of speech any given word be-
longs. so, unless words are associated to-
gether, and so made parts Of speech, they are
not parts of speech at all. -aas.l SIX
Now, if it be true, as we think it is, that
"Amen " in the verse quoted does not quail
ify an adjective, nor verb, nor participle,
nor an adyerb, nor an adyerbial phrase; and
does not answer TO that description Of an
adverb which requires it to relate to time,
to place, to degree, or to the ho,o {; and Is not
associated with other words which make it
part of speech, and indicate what that part
of speech is, then we must conclude that it
is not part of speech at all, but is an indie
pendent word, not connected grammatically
with the words which go before;it. 1t is as
independent as an inteIjection, and partakes
more of the nature Of an interjection than
it does of the nature Of an adyerb. II there
were such part of speech as an "ejacula-
tion'' this is what 1t would be.
Is there any authority which sustains US?
GooLp Brown is the best in the world, we
think. We quote the following from his
Grammar Of English Grammars," p. $50:
The word amen, which is commonly
called an adrerb, is often used independently
at the beginning or end Of Il declaration or a
prayer; and is itself prayer, meaning, So
let it be; as, Surely I come quickly.
Arnen Even so, come Lord Jesus"
Thus this best Of authorities says that
" Amen " as employed in the Lords Prayer
is used independently, though commonly
called an adyerh."