‘Dearly beloved’, ‘the powers that be’, ‘for ever and ever’ and many, many more, are coinages that resonate as powerfully today as when they were first set down. The great linguistics guru celebrates the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament. He explores the huge influence Tyndale’s writing had on the English language, and investigates the oft-cited statistic that 80 percent of the King James Bible is actually his.
David Crystal is honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Bangor. His many books include Crystal’s Curiosity Cabinet and A Word for All Seasons.