This essay introduces a special issue exploring the topics of variation, indigeneity, and heritage in historical English language studies. It highlights several key insights from research on diachronic changes in English from studies of historical sociolinguistics, indigenous languages, and heritage languages, acknowledging the roles of indigenous, immigrant, and multilingual speakers in charting the history of the English language. It provides brief summaries of the three research articles in the special issue, as well as an afterword connecting glocal methodologies to the themes of variation, indigeneity, and heritage.
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