Variation and populations

This Chapter proposes that data from genetics can help us evaluate hypotheses on possible sources of past or present linguistic variation by tracing the histories of genetic markers in individuals and local populations. This sort of approach is also reflected in the work of the Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity at UCL in London, and in a range of applications of the ‘new synthesis’ between archaeology, linguistics and genetics. Examples are taken from the early history of English both in the founding generations and later influence from Nordic languages and their speakers.