David Crystal @ EIBF

 

David Crystal has written Begat about the King James Bible’s influence on English language as a birthday present to it, for its 400th year in print in 2011. This was a good presentation but didn't have enough analysis for me. As a taster for the book, it left me wondering if all we’ll get is lots of examples of usage and not much interrogation. Language change is often a matter of interaction and motivation. It would have been nice for Crystal to explore Matthew more, as this was where he said half of the phrases we’ve appropriated and synthesised are found. What is it about the language use and society that made this section yield so many idioms for Modern English? The changes in blasphemy laws made playing with biblical language a possibility, giving phrases a completely separate secular life. Likewise, many biblical phrases never appear the way we use them, like ‘fly in the ointment’. Crystal revealed how his own title for Begat was rejected. But a quick search on Amazon today yields a product description that gives the book the original title he wanted. Ironic that chapter six’s title has once again cropped up where you wouldn’t expect it. [Sue Lawrenson]