Paper 1 · sources of history
Name the source of history that studies languages and the links between them to trace how peoples moved and settled.
Model answer
linguistics
Also accepted: historical linguistics, language study
Explanation: Comparing related languages shows which groups separated from a common stock and roughly how long ago. It is the source that traces the Bantu migrations into Southern Africa, where written records do not exist and archaeology alone cannot say who the settlers were.
Derived from ZIMSEC History Paper 1, Nov 2025, Q2