ABSTRACT
Language is fundamental to the study of history and therefore developing language, and an understanding of language is central to history teaching. Language is not only the medium by which an interpretation of the past is most often conveyed, but it is also the source of our understanding in written and spoken historical evidence. It is through choice of language that our understanding of the past can be nuanced and given strength. Focusing on historians’ or contemporaries’ careful choice of words can help us gain a new level of understanding. However, the changing nature and meaning of language can cause difficulties for students in the history classroom. The need for precise selection of appropriate language when communicating about the past can add another layer of challenge. These extracts focus on three aspects of language. The first sets out definitions of language within the discipline of history; the second gives examples of how pupils might be helped to engage with the complex language of a historian; the third focuses on the development of students’ spoken language in the history classroom.
