Joan Swann is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Language and Communication in the School of Education at the Open University, UK. Ana Deumert is Associate Professor in the Linguistics Section, Department of English, University of Cape Town. Theresa Lillis is Professor in English Language and Applied Linguistics at The Open University, UK. Her research interests are in academic and professional writing, particularly the politics of access, location and participation. Recent publications include Academic writing in a global context, with Mary Jane Curry (Routledge 2010) and articles in journals such as TESOL Quarterly, Written Communication, the International Journal of Applied Linguistics and the Journal of Advanced Composition. Rajend Mesthrie is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Senior Research Scholar at the University of Cape Town. He was Head of the Linguistics Section (1998 - 2009), and holder of an NRF research chair in migration, language, and social change. He was President of the Linguistics Society of Southern Africa (2002-2009) and President of the International Congress of Linguists (2013-2018).

He is an elected honorary life member of SALALS (South African Linguistic and Applied Linguistics Society) and the LSA (Linguistic Society of America). He is a past co-editor of English Today (2008-2012).Amongst his book publications are Language in Indenture: a Sociolinguistic history of Bhojpuri-Hindi in South Africa (1992, reprinted. 2019), Introducing Sociolinguistics (with Swann, Deumert & Leap, Edinburgh University Press 2009), Language in South Africa (ed., 2002) and Youth Language Practices & Urban Language Contact in Africa (ed., with Hurst-Harosh & Brookes, 2021).