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William Tyndale and the English Language
A revelatory examination of William Tyndale’s monumental influence on the English language.
“Dearly beloved,” “say the word,” “the powers that be,” “for ever and ever.” Such familiar phrases and many more were set down in print for the first time by William Tyndale. For his groundbreaking English translation of the Bible, he deliberately chose to write in a way that could be understood by the widest possible audience.
In the first half of this pioneering exploration of the extraordinary impact Tyndale’s writing had on the development of the English language, David Crystal provides an analysis of his prose style, demonstrating its character as a novel genre of “written speech,” and bringing to light the remarkable number of cases where Tyndale is the first recorded user of a word or phrase in English. He also draws attention to the hitherto unrecognized role of Tyndale as an early lexicographer. The second half of the book is a linguistic detective story, devising an innovative lexical and grammatical metric to investigate the often-stated claim that eighty per cent of later biblical translations display Tyndale’s influence. The result is a fascinating exploration of the work of the Father of the English Bible.
“Dearly beloved,” “say the word,” “the powers that be,” “for ever and ever.” Such familiar phrases and many more were set down in print for the first time by William Tyndale. For his groundbreaking English translation of the Bible, he deliberately chose to write in a way that could be understood by the widest possible audience.
In the first half of this pioneering exploration of the extraordinary impact Tyndale’s writing had on the development of the English language, David Crystal provides an analysis of his prose style, demonstrating its character as a novel genre of “written speech,” and bringing to light the remarkable number of cases where Tyndale is the first recorded user of a word or phrase in English. He also draws attention to the hitherto unrecognized role of Tyndale as an early lexicographer. The second half of the book is a linguistic detective story, devising an innovative lexical and grammatical metric to investigate the often-stated claim that eighty per cent of later biblical translations display Tyndale’s influence. The result is a fascinating exploration of the work of the Father of the English Bible.
248 pages, Hardcover
Published April 10, 2026
About the author
David Crystal
241 books813 followersDavid Crystal works from his home in Holyhead, North Wales, as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster. Born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1941, he spent his early years in Holyhead. His family moved to Liverpool in 1951, and he received his secondary schooling at St Mary's College. He read English at University College London (1959-62), specialised in English language studies, did some research there at the Survey of English Usage under Randolph Quirk (1962-3), then joined academic life as a lecturer in linguistics, first at Bangor, then at Reading. He published the first of his 100 or so books in 1964, and became known chiefly for his research work in English language studies, in such fields as intonation and stylistics, and in the application of linguistics to religious, educational and clinical contexts, notably in the development of a range of linguistic profiling techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. He held a chair at the University of Reading for 10 years, and is now Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. These days he divides his time between work on language and work on internet applications.
source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/
source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 23, 2026
A quick overview of Tyndale’s influence on the English language and an evaluation of the claim that 80% of the King James Bible is Tyndale’s.
This book won’t be for everyone but is an excellent contribution to Tyndale studies. In spite of the potential drudgery of the content (lexical analysis of sixteenth century English), Crystal’s prose is entertaining. The first 60% of the book on Tyndale’s original linguistic and lexical contributions is more intriguing than the later analysis of Tyndale vs the KJB.
5 stars, because Crystal attempts a prodigious task and manages to do it succinctly and engagingly. An original academic contribution that is also accessible to lay readers.
This book won’t be for everyone but is an excellent contribution to Tyndale studies. In spite of the potential drudgery of the content (lexical analysis of sixteenth century English), Crystal’s prose is entertaining. The first 60% of the book on Tyndale’s original linguistic and lexical contributions is more intriguing than the later analysis of Tyndale vs the KJB.
5 stars, because Crystal attempts a prodigious task and manages to do it succinctly and engagingly. An original academic contribution that is also accessible to lay readers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Crystal clearly loves English and has done its speakers a service, rescuing (or recovering?) Tyndale’s reputation as a major fountainhead of modern English—both of English prose and of English lexical stock. I can't say that the result makes for thrilling reading, but the pace is quick and the prose is befittingly clear. And there are absolute gems scattered everywhere among the data. It’s hard to string much narrative onto or find much theme in what really boils down to lists of lexical and idiomatic change. Crystal did as well as I think anyone could with the task he set for himself, namely, “reflect[ing] on [Tyndale’s] role in relation to the development of English as a whole.” He offers insights into the parataxis and prosody of Tyndale and into what writing for the ploughboy meant for him.
Most importantly and enduringly, Crystal both questions and partially validates the commonly reported percentage of the KJV that is said to be owed to Tyndale. Nielson and Skousen said famously that the King James New Testament is 84% Tyndale. As scholars are wont to do, Crystal helpfully complexifies the question of how such a number might best be arrived at (he also shows his work in detailed appendices). Crystal's samples suggest a number closer to 70% overall—though, expanding a bit on his previous book Begat, he argues that 80%+ of the idioms he ascribed to the KJV can be further ascribed to Tyndale.
This is not a beach read, although I actually did read this book on vacation… (I think maybe I do belong as a low-ranking member of Crystal’s nerdy club.)
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. No money changed hands and a review was not required. I contacted them to request a book that I thought would be helpful for my work—and I was not disappointed.
Most importantly and enduringly, Crystal both questions and partially validates the commonly reported percentage of the KJV that is said to be owed to Tyndale. Nielson and Skousen said famously that the King James New Testament is 84% Tyndale. As scholars are wont to do, Crystal helpfully complexifies the question of how such a number might best be arrived at (he also shows his work in detailed appendices). Crystal's samples suggest a number closer to 70% overall—though, expanding a bit on his previous book Begat, he argues that 80%+ of the idioms he ascribed to the KJV can be further ascribed to Tyndale.
This is not a beach read, although I actually did read this book on vacation… (I think maybe I do belong as a low-ranking member of Crystal’s nerdy club.)
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. No money changed hands and a review was not required. I contacted them to request a book that I thought would be helpful for my work—and I was not disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews