He was the only child of the Jewish Austrian couple Johannes Jacob and Edith Cecily Clyne who had left their home country after the Anschluss.

[3] Clyne studied for his Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees at the University of Melbourne,[4] focusing on Germanic and French languages.

He spoke fluent English, German and Dutch, and had also studied French, Italian, Swedish and Norwegian.

[5] He was made a Member of the Order of Australia on 13 June 1993 "in recognition of service to education, particularly in the field of linguistics.

"[6] Clyne was a recipient of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and the Arts 1st cl and the German Cross of Merit 1st cl.,[1] He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, as well as the Centenary of Federation Medal, Inaugural Vice Chancellor's Award for Postgraduate Supervision (Monash University), 1999 Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm Prize (international German Studies prize), and Humboldt Research Prize.