William Tyndale and the English Language - Hardback

...beautifully clear and succinct exploration of Tyndale's language.
The Oldie, Christopher Howse, April 2026

As his title states, [Crystal] is presenting Tyndale as a uniquely rich source for the vocabulary and idioms of the language as a whole - a very ambitious task, but one that he carries through with great aplomb.
The Observer, Rowan Williams, June 2026

This book is a pioneering exploration of Tyndale's enormous impact on the development of the English language. It offers a fascinating journey into the work of the Father of the English Bible.

Key Highlights:

• Iconic Phrases Introduced by Tyndale:
  Familiar expressions such as ‘Dearly beloved’, ‘say the word’, ‘the powers that be’, and ‘for ever and ever’ were set down in print for the first time by William Tyndale.
• Accessible Language for All:
  In his groundbreaking English translation of the Bible, Tyndale deliberately chose a writing style that could be understood by the broadest possible audience.

Book Structure:

Part One: Tyndale’s Prose Style

David Crystal provides an in-depth analysis of Tyndale’s prose style, showcasing:

• Its character as a novel genre of ‘written speech’.
• The remarkable number of cases where Tyndale is the first recorded user of a word or phrase in English.
• Tyndale’s unrecognised role as an early lexicographer.

Part Two: A Linguistic Detective Story

The second half of the book devises an innovative lexical and grammatical metric to investigate the claim that eighty percent of later biblical translations bear Tyndale’s influence.

The result is a fascinating exploration of the enduring legacy of William Tyndale, the Father of the English Bible.