How do people in a position of power address those under their control? Do they impose their own language, possibly in a reduced version? Do they adopt a simple form of the language of the people they control? Do they employ a lingua franca that is commonly used in the region? Recent research usually focuses on the linguistic strategies the new speakers apply to the input. Much less information is available about the input itself. The contributions to the present issue deal with the linguistic strategies and policies used by those in power to facilitate communication with those under their control, as well as the modifications they apply to their speech. The contributions deal with the input in several work- or trade-related varieties, such as Français tirailleur, Garden Herero, Pidgin Madame, Butler English, Lingua da preto, Dienstmaleisch, Kyakhta Pidgin, and the role they played in colonial societies.