---
title: historian — Judaism dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «historian» in the Judaism dictionary: A historian is a person who studies history and writes about the past, using evidence such as documents, objects and buildings. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# historian

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** historian, person, pupils, history, Historians, local historian · **What happens:** be, study, write, use, do, ask · **To what, where:** person, history, evidence, anyone, work, questions

<!-- .vabout -->
«historian» in the Judaism dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 7 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [historian in the Judaism dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/historian.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A historian is a person who studies history and writes about the past, using evidence such as documents, objects and buildings.

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:m1:1
# text = A historian is a person who studies history and writes about the past, using evidence such as documents, objects and buildings.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	historian	historian	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	studies	study	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	history	history	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	writes	write	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	conj	_	_
11	about	about	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	past	past	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
15	using	use	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
16	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
17	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	19	case	_	_
18	as	as	ADP	IN	_	17	fixed	_	_
19	documents	document	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	16	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	21	punct	_	_
21	objects	object	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	19	conj	_	_
22	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	23	cc	_	_
23	buildings	building	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	19	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a historian | a person |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **study** | present | a person | history |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent history=Topic |
| 3 | **write** | present | a person *not said here* |  |  |  |  | about the past | vn lecture-37.11-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about past=Topic |
| 4 | **use** | gerund | a person *not said here* | evidence |  |  |  | such documents and objects and buildings | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent evidence=Patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: school — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A historian is anyone who does the work of history, like pupils asking questions about the past and checking sources.

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:m2:1
# text = A historian is anyone who does the work of history, like pupils asking questions about the past and checking sources.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	historian	historian	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	anyone	anyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	0	root	_	_
5	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	does	do	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	work	work	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	history	history	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
12	like	like	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	pupils	pupil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	conj	_	_
14	asking	ask	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	13	acl	_	_
15	questions	question	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obj	_	_
16	about	about	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	past	past	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod	_	_
19	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
20	checking	check	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	14	conj	_	_
21	sources	source	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	20	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a historian | anyone |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **do** | present |  | the work of history and pupils |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent work=Eventuality |
| 3 | **ask** *speech: ask* | gerund | pupils *not said here* | questions |  |  |  | about the past | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP PP.topic»: agent=Agent question=Recipient about past=Topic |
| 4 | **check** | gerund | pupils *not said here* | sources |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent source=Theme |
| 5 | **work** |  | history |  |  |  |  |  | nom work «act intransitive»: of=agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Historians study letters and diaries to learn about the past.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:x1:1
# text = Historians study letters and diaries to learn about the past.
1	Historians	historian	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	study	study	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	diaries	diary	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	conj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	learn	learn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
8	about	about	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	past	past	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **study** | present | Historians | letters and diaries |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent letter=Topic |
| 2 | **learn** | to-infinitive | Historians *not said here* |  |  |  |  | about the past | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about past=Topic |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A local historian showed us old photos of our town.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:x2:1
# text = A local historian showed us old photos of our town.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	local	local	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	historian	historian	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	showed	show	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	4	iobj	_	_
6	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	photos	photo	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	town	town	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | past | a local historian | old photos of our town | us |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent we=Recipient photo=Topic |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Historians disagree about why the war began.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:x3:1
# text = Historians disagree about why the war began.
1	Historians	historian	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	disagree	disagree	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	about	about	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	war	war	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	began	begin	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **disagree** | present | Historians |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **begin** | past | the war |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Today we are historians, looking at clues from Roman Britain.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:x4:1
# text = Today we are historians, looking at clues from Roman Britain.
1	Today	today	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	historians	historian	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	looking	look	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	clues	clue	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
9	from	from	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	Roman	Roman	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	Britain	Britain	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Today | historians |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **look** | gerund | historians *not said here* |  |  |  |  | at clues from Roman Britain | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at clue=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The historian wrote a book about the Victorian railways.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:x5:1
# text = The historian wrote a book about the Victorian railways.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	historian	historian	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wrote	write	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	book	book	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	about	about	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	Victorian	victorian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	railways	railway	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | past | the historian | a book |  |  |  | about the Victorian railways | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent book=Recipient about railway=Topic |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Historians use evidence, not guesses.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:x6:1
# text = Historians use evidence, not guesses.
1	Historians	historian	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	use	use	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
5	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	guesses	guess	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | Historians | evidence and guesses |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent evidence=Patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To what extent Hook is to blame for his tactics on this occasion is for the historian to decide.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:historian:x7:1
# text = To what extent Hook is to blame for his tactics on this occasion is for the historian to decide.
1	To	to	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	obl	_	_
3	extent	extent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	Hook	hook	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	blame	blame	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	tactics	tactic	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	_
11	on	on	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	13	det	_	_
13	occasion	occasion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	_
14	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
15	for	for	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	historian	historian	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	parataxis	_	_
18	to	to	PART	TO	_	19	mark	_	_
19	decide	decide	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	17	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | extent Hook |  |  |  |  | for his tactics; blame *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  | this occasion |  | for the historian | tree rules |
| 3 | **decide** | to-infinitive | extent Hook *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the Judaism dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
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