Begat

The King James Bible and the English Language

David Crystal (University of Wales, Bangor)

$38.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
01 December 2010

Language: history & general works; Religion & beliefs

"What do the following have in common?

Let there be light - A fly in the ointment - A rod of iron - New wine in old bottlesLick the dust - How are the mighty fallen - Kick against the pricks - Wheels within wheelsThey are all in the King James Bible. This astonishing book ""has contributed far more to English in the way of idiomatic or quasi-proverbial expressions than any other literary source."" So wrote David Crystal in 2004. In Begat

he returns to the subject not only to consider how a work published in 1611 could have had such influence on the language, but how it can still do so when few regularly hear the Bible and fewer still hear it in the language of Stuart England.

No other version of the Bible however popular (such as the Good News Bible) or imposed upon the church (like the New English Bible) has had anything like the same influence. David Crystal shows how its words and phrases have over the centuries found independent life in the work of poets, playwrights, novelists, politicians, and journalists, and how more recently they have been taken up with enthusiasm by advertisers, Hollywood, and hip-hop. Yet the King James Bible owes much to earlier English versions, notably those by John Wycliffe in in the fourteenth century and William Tyndale in the sixteenth. David Crystal reveals how much that is memorable in the King James Bible stems from its forebears. At the same time he shows how crucial were the revisions made by King James's team of translators and editors. ""A person who professes to be a critic in the delicacies of the English language ought to have the Bible at his finger's ends,"" Lord Macaulay advised Lady Holland in 1831. Begat shows how true that remains. It will be a revelation to all who read it."

By: David Crystal (University of Wales Bangor)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 141mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 508g
ISBN: 9780199585854
ISBN 10: 0199585857
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 01 December 2010
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active