If you are interested
in science, you'll visit museums. If you are interested in art, you'll
visit exhibitions. But where should we go, when we are interested in language? This
is the question that David Crystal sets out to answer in his new book. He
stated that there will be many places that changed or influenced the English
language within 20km of where you live.
This is true for the audience of the lecture,
as taking Cheltenham as his starting point, he directed us down south to North
Nibley in Southern Gloucestershire. This is the place where William Tyndale,
one of the first bible translators into English, was born. Translating the
bible was strictly prohibited in Tyndale’s time and therefore his books were
burned, with only two remaining. However, you will have heard the phrase ‘the
sign of the times’, which although was in the King James Bible, these words
were taken directly from Tyndale’s edition. On the top of a hill stands a monument
dedicated to Tyndale, with an inscription saying ‘in grateful remembrance of William
Tyndale, translator of the English bible, who first caused the new testament to
be printed in the mother tongue of his countrymen, born near this spot he
suffered’. Although this recognition is not as much as he deserves, Crystal was
very happy to see his work appreciated.
There are many other
fascinating places that have shaped the language that we speak today,
which may be located near you. Therefore, if you are interested in language (and why would you be reading this
if you weren’t), this book is for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment