European Language Families Overview
European Language Families Overview
Languages of Europe
Most languages of Europe belong to the Indo-European language family. Out of a total European
population of 744 million as of 2018, some 94% are native speakers of an Indo-European language.
Within Indo-European, the three largest phyla in Europe are Romance, Germanic, and Slavic; they have
more than 200 million speakers each and together account for close to 90% of Europeans. Smaller
phyla of Indo-European found in Europe include Hellenic (Greek, c. 13 million), Baltic (c. 7 million),
Albanian (c. 5 million), Celtic (c. 4 million), and Armenian (c. 4 million); Indo-Aryan, though a large
subfamily of Indo-European, has a relatively small number of speakers in Europe (Romani, c. 1.5
million).
Five languages have more than 50 million native speakers in Europe: Russian, French, Italian, German,
and English. Russian is the most-spoken native language in Europe, and English has the largest number
of speakers in total, including some 200 million speakers of English as a second or foreign language.
(See English language in Europe.)
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European language family is descended from Proto-Indo-European, which is believed to have
been spoken thousands of years ago. Early speakers of Indo-European daughter languages most likely
expanded into Europe with the incipient Bronze Age, around 4,000 years ago (Bell-Beaker culture).
Germanic
The Germanic languages make up the predominant language family in Western, Northern and Central
Europe. An estimated 210 million Europeans are native speakers of Germanic languages, the largest
groups being German (c. 95 million), English (c. 70 million), Dutch (c. 24 million), Swedish (c. 10
million), Danish (c. 6 million), Norwegian (c. 5 million) and Limburgish (c. 1.3 million).
There are two extant major sub-divisions: West Germanic and North Germanic. A third group, East
Germanic, is now extinct; the only known surviving East Germanic texts are written in the Gothic
language. West Germanic is divided into Anglo-Frisian (including English), Low German, Low
Franconian (including Dutch) and High German (including Standard German).[2]
Anglo-Frisian
The Anglo-Frisian language family is now mostly represented by English (Anglic), descended from the
Old English language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons:
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Dutch
Dutch is spoken throughout the Netherlands, the The present-day distribution of the Germanic
northern half of Belgium, as well as the Nord-Pas de languages in Europe:
Calais region of France. The traditional dialects of the North Germanic languages
Lower Rhine region of Germany, are linguistically more Icelandic
closely related to Dutch than to modern German. In Faroese
Belgian and French contexts, Dutch is sometimes Norwegian
referred to as Flemish. Dutch dialects are varied and cut
Swedish
across national borders.
Danish
Elfdalian
German West Germanic Languages
English
German is spoken throughout Germany, Austria, Scots
Liechtenstein, much of Switzerland (including the Yola
northeast areas bordering on Germany and Austria), Frisian
northern Italy (South Tyrol), Luxembourg, the East
Dutch
Cantons of Belgium and the Alsace and Lorraine regions
Low German
of France.
High German
There are several groups of German dialects: Dots indicate areas where multilingualism is
common.
High German includes several dialect families:
Standard German
Central German dialects, spoken in central Germany and including Luxembourgish
High Franconian, a family of transitional dialects between Central and Upper High German
Upper German, including Bavarian and Swiss German
Yiddish is a set of two Jewish languages developed in Germany and later Eastern Europe. They
share many features of High German dialects and Hebrew.
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Low Saxon is spoken in various regions throughout Northern Germany and the northern and eastern
parts of the Netherlands. It is an official language in Germany. It may be separated into West Low
German and East Low German.[5]
The North Germanic languages are spoken in Scandinavian countries and include Danish (Denmark),
Norwegian (Norway), Swedish (Sweden and parts of Finland), or Elfdalian (in a small part of central
Sweden), Faroese (Faroe Islands), and Icelandic (Iceland).
English has a long history of contact with Scandinavian languages, given the immigration of
Scandinavians early in the history of Britain, and shares various features with the Scandinavian
languages.[6] Even so, especially Swedish, but also Danish and Norwegian, have strong vocabulary
connections to the German language.
Limburgish
Limburgish (also called Limburgan, Limburgian, or Limburgic) Is a west Germanic language spoken in
the province of Limburg in the Netherlands, Belgium and neighboring regions of Germany
Romance
We can further break down Italo-Western into the Italo-Dalmatian languages (sometimes grouped
with Eastern Romance), including the Tuscan-derived Italian and numerous local Romance languages
in Italy as well as Dalmatian, and the Western Romance languages. The Western Romance languages
in turn separate into the Gallo-Romance languages, including Langues d'oïl such as French, the
Francoprovencalic languages Arpitan and Faetar, the Rhaeto-Romance languages, and the Gallo-Italic
languages; the Occitano-Romance languages, grouped with either Gallo-Romance or East Iberian,
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including Occitanic languages such as Occitan and Gardiol, and Catalan; Aragonese, grouped in with
either Occitano-Romance or West Iberian, and finally the West Iberian languages, including the Astur-
Leonese languages, the Galician-Portuguese languages, and the Castilian languages.
Slavic
Phylogenetically, Slavic is divided into three subgroups: Political map of Europe with countries where the
national language is Slavic:
West Slavic includes Polish, Czech, Slovak, Lower West Slavic languages
Sorbian, Upper Sorbian, Silesian and Kashubian. East Slavic languages
East Slavic includes Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, South Slavic languages
and Rusyn.
South Slavic includes Slovene and Serbo-Croatian in
the southwest and Bulgarian, Macedonian and Church Slavonic (a liturgical language) in the
southeast, each with numerous distinctive dialects. South Slavic languages constitute a dialect
continuum where standard Slovene, Macedonian and Bulgarian are each based on a distinct
dialect, whereas pluricentric Serbo-Croatian boasts four mutually intelligible national standard
varieties all based on a single dialect, Shtokavian.
Others
Greek (c. 13 million) is the official language of Greece and Cyprus, and there are Greek-speaking
enclaves in Albania, Bulgaria, Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, Georgia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Egypt,
Israel, Jordan, and Turkey, and in Greek communities around the world. Dialects of modern Greek
that originate from Attic Greek (through Koine and then Medieval Greek) are Cappadocian, Pontic,
Cretan, Cypriot, Katharevousa, and Yevanic.
Italiot Greek is, debatably, a Doric dialect of Greek. It is spoken in southern Italy only, in the
southern Calabria region (as Grecanic)[11][12][13][14][15] and in the Salento region (as Griko). It
was studied by the German linguist Gerhard Rohlfs during the 1930s and 1950s.
Tsakonian is a Doric dialect of the Greek language spoken in the lower Arcadia region of the
Peloponnese around the village of Leonidio
The Baltic languages are spoken in Lithuania (Lithuanian (c. 3 million), Samogitian) and Latvia
(Latvian (c. 2 million), Latgalian). Samogitian and Latgalian used to be considered dialects of
Lithuanian and Latvian respectively.
There are also several extinct Baltic languages, including: Galindian, Curonian, Old Prussian,
Selonian, Semigallian and Sudovian.
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Albanian (c. 5 million) has two major dialects, Tosk Albanian and
Gheg Albanian. It is spoken in Albania and Kosovo, neighboring
North Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Italy, and Montenegro. It is also
widely spoken in the Albanian diaspora.
Armenian (c. 7 million) has two major forms, Western Armenian and
Eastern Armenian. It is spoken in Armenia, Artsakh and Georgia
(Samtskhe-Javakheti), also Russia, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece,
and Cyprus. It is also widely spoken in the Armenian Diaspora.
There are six living Celtic languages, spoken in areas of
northwestern Europe dubbed the "Celtic nations". All six are
members of the Insular Celtic family, which in turn is divided into:
Brittonic family: Welsh (Wales, c. 700,000), Cornish (Cornwall,
c. 500) and Breton (Brittany, c. 200,000) Historic distribution of the Baltic
Goidelic family: Irish (Ireland, c. 2,000,000), Scottish Gaelic languages in the Baltic
(Scotland, c. 50,000), and Manx (Isle of Man, 1,800) (simplified).
The Indo-Aryan languages have one major representative: Romani (c. 1.5 million speakers),
introduced in Europe during the late medieval period. Lacking a nation state, Romani is spoken as a
minority language throughout Europe.
The Iranian languages in Europe are natively represented in the North Caucasus, notably with
Ossetian (c. 600,000).
Non-Indo-European languages
Turkic
Oghuz languages in Europe include Turkish,
spoken in East Thrace and by immigrant
communities; Azerbaijani is spoken in Northeast
Azerbaijan and parts of Southern Russia and
Gagauz is spoken in Gagauzia.
Kipchak languages in Europe include Karaim,
Crimean Tatar and Krymchak, which is spoken
mainly in Crimea; Tatar, which is spoken in
Tatarstan; Bashkir, which is spoken in
Bashkortostan; Karachay-Balkar, which is
spoken in the North Caucasus, and Kazakh,
which is spoken in Northwest Kazakhstan. Distribution of Turkic languages in Eurasia
Oghur languages were historically indigenous
to much of Eastern Europe; however, most of
them are extinct today, with the exception of Chuvash, which is spoken in Chuvashia.
Uralic
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Others
The Basque language (or Euskara, c. 750,000) is a language isolate and the ancestral language of
the Basque people who inhabit the Basque Country, a region in the western Pyrenees mountains
mostly in northeastern Spain and partly in southwestern France of about 3 million inhabitants, where
it is spoken fluently by about 750,000 and understood by more than 1.5 million people. Basque is
directly related to ancient Aquitanian, and it is likely that an early form of the Basque language was
present in Western Europe before the arrival of the Indo-European languages in the area in the
Bronze Age.
North Caucasian languages is a geographical blanket term for two unrelated language families
spoken chiefly in the north Caucasus and Turkey—the Northwest Caucasian family (including
Abkhaz and Circassian) and the Northeast Caucasian family, spoken mainly in the border area of
the southern Russian Federation (including Dagestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia).
Kalmyk is a Mongolic language, spoken in the Republic of Kalmykia, part of the Russian Federation.
Its speakers entered the Volga region in the early 17th century.
Kartvelian languages (also known as Southwest Caucasian languages), the most common of which
is Georgian (c. 3.5 million), others being Mingrelian and Svan, spoken mainly in the Caucasus and
Anatolia.
Maltese (c. 500,000) is a Semitic language with Romance and Germanic influences, spoken in
Malta.[16][17][18][19] It is based on Sicilian Arabic, with influences from Sicilian, Italian, French and,
more recently, English. It is the only Semitic language whose standard form is written in Latin script.
It is also the second smallest official language of the EU in terms of speakers (after Irish), and the
only official Semitic language within the EU.
Cypriot Maronite Arabic (also known as Cypriot Arabic) is a variety of Arabic spoken by Maronites in
Cyprus. Most speakers live in Nicosia, but others are in the communities of Kormakiti and Lemesos.
Brought to the island by Maronites fleeing Lebanon over 700 years ago, this variety of Arabic has
been influenced by Greek in both phonology and vocabulary, while retaining certain unusually
archaic features in other respects.
Dialects of Eastern Aramaic are spoken by Assyrian communities in the Caucasus and southern
Russia who fled the Assyrian Genocide during World War I.
Sign languages
Several dozen manual languages exist across Europe, with the most widespread sign language family
being the Francosign languages, with its languages found in countries from Iberia to the Balkans and
the Baltics. Accurate historical information of sign and tactile languages is difficult to come by, with folk
histories noting the existence signing communities across Europe hundreds of years ago. British Sign
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Language (BSL) and French Sign Language (LSF) are probably the oldest confirmed, continuously used
sign languages. Alongside German Sign Language (DGS) according to Ethnologue, these three have the
most numbers of signers, though very few institutions take appropriate statistics on contemporary
signing populations, making legitimate data hard to find.
Notably, few European sign languages have overt connections with the local majority/oral languages,
aside from standard language contact and borrowing, meaning grammatically the sign languages and
the oral languages of Europe are quite distinct from one another. Due to (visual/aural) modality
differences, most sign languages are named for the larger ethnic nation in which they are spoken, plus
the words "sign language", rendering what is spoken across much of France, Wallonia and Romandy as
French Sign Language or LSF for: langue des signes française.
Recognition of non-oral languages varies widely from region to region.[20] Some countries afford legal
recognition, even to official on a state level, whereas others continue to be actively suppressed.[21]
Francosign languages, such as LSF, Irish SL, Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS), Eesti Viipekeel, and
probably both Catalan and Valencian Sign Languages.
Danish Sign languages, such as DTS, Icelandic Taknmal, Faroese Taknmal, and NTS.
Austro-Hungarian Sign descendants, including the sub-families descended from both
(separately) the Yugoslav Sign Language and Russian Sign Language, such as Macedonian
Sign Language and HZJ, or LGK and Ukrainian Sign Language (USL).
Banzsl languages, such as BSL and Northern Ireland Sign Language (NISL).
Swedish Sign family, such as SSL, Viittomakieli, FinnSSL, and Portuguese Sign Language
(LGP), all of which may be descended from Old BSL.
Germanosign languages, such as DGS and Polish Sign Language (PJM).
Isolate languages, such as Albanian Sign Language, Armenian Sign Language, Caucasian Sign
Language, Spanish Sign Language (LSE), Turkish Sign Language (TİD), and perhaps Ghardaia
Sign Language.
History of standardization
In the Middle Ages the two most important defining elements of Europe were Christianitas and
Latinitas.
The earliest dictionaries were glossaries: more or less structured lists of lexical pairs (in alphabetical
order or according to conceptual fields). The Latin-German (Latin-Bavarian) Abrogans was among the
first. A new wave of lexicography can be seen from the late 15th century onwards (after the introduction
of the printing press, with the growing interest in standardisation of languages).
The concept of the nation state began to emerge in the early modern period. Nations adopted particular
dialects as their national language. This, together with improved communications, led to official efforts
to standardise the national language, and a number of language academies were established: 1582
Accademia della Crusca in Florence, 1617 Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft in Weimar, 1635 Académie
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française in Paris, 1713 Real Academia Española in Madrid. Language became increasingly linked to
nation as opposed to culture, and was also used to promote religious and ethnic identity: e.g. different
Bible translations in the same language for Catholics and Protestants.
The first languages whose standardisation was promoted included Italian (questione della lingua:
Modern Tuscan/Florentine vs. Old Tuscan/Florentine vs. Venetian → Modern Florentine + archaic
Tuscan + Upper Italian), French (the standard is based on Parisian), English (the standard is based on
the London dialect) and (High) German (based on the dialects of the chancellery of Meissen in Saxony,
Middle German, and the chancellery of Prague in Bohemia ("Common German")). But several other
nations also began to develop a standard variety in the 16th century.
Lingua franca
Europe has had a number of languages that were considered linguae francae over some ranges for some
periods according to some historians. Typically in the rise of a national language the new language
becomes a lingua franca to peoples in the range of the future nation until the consolidation and
unification phases. If the nation becomes internationally influential, its language may become a lingua
franca among nations that speak their own national languages. Europe has had no lingua franca ranging
over its entire territory spoken by all or most of its populations during any historical period. Some
linguae francae of past and present over some of its regions for some of its populations are:
Classical Greek and then Koine Greek in the Mediterranean Basin from the Athenian Empire to the
Eastern Roman Empire, being replaced by Modern Greek.
Koine Greek and Modern Greek, in the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire and other parts of the
Balkans south of the Jireček Line.[22]
Vulgar Latin and Late Latin among the uneducated and educated populations respectively of the
Roman Empire and the states that followed it in the same range no later than 900 AD; Medieval
Latin and Renaissance Latin among the educated populations of western, northern, central and part
of eastern Europe until the rise of the national languages in that range, beginning with the first
language academy in Italy in 1582/83; Neo-Latin written only in scholarly and scientific contexts by
a small minority of the educated population at scattered locations over all of Europe; ecclesiastical
Latin, in spoken and written contexts of liturgy and church administration only, over the range of the
Roman Catholic Church.
Lingua Franca or Sabir, the original of the name, an Italian-based pidgin language of mixed origins
used by maritime commercial interests around the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages and early
Modern Age.[23]
Old French in continental western European countries and in the Crusader states.[24]
Czech, mainly during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (14th century) but also during
other periods of Bohemian control over the Holy Roman Empire.
Middle Low German, around the 14th–16th century, during the heyday of the Hanseatic League,
mainly in Northeastern Europe across the Baltic Sea.
Spanish as Castilian in Spain and New Spain from the times of the Catholic Monarchs and
Columbus, c. 1492; that is, after the Reconquista, until established as a national language in the
times of Louis XIV, c. 1648; subsequently multinational in all nations in or formerly in the Spanish
Empire.[25]
Polish, due to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (16th–18th centuries).
Italian due to the Renaissance, the opera, the Italian Empire, the fashion industry and the influence
of the Roman Catholic church.[26]
French from the golden age under Cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV c. 1648; i.e., after the Thirty
Years' War, in France and the French colonial empire, until established as the national language
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during the French Revolution of 1789 and subsequently multinational in all nations in or formerly in
the various French Empires.[24]
German in Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe.[27]
English in Great Britain until its consolidation as a national language in the Renaissance and the
rise of Modern English; subsequently internationally under the various states in or formerly in the
British Empire; globally since the victories of the predominantly English speaking countries (United
States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others) and their allies in the two
world wars ending in 1918 (World War I) and 1945 (World War II) and the subsequent rise of the
United States as a superpower and major cultural influence.
Russian in the former Soviet Union and Russian Empire including Northern and Central Asia.
Linguistic minorities
Historical attitudes towards linguistic diversity are illustrated by two French laws: the Ordonnance de
Villers-Cotterêts (1539), which said that every document in France should be written in French (neither
in Latin nor in Occitan) and the Loi Toubon (1994), which aimed to eliminate anglicisms from official
documents. States and populations within a state have often resorted to war to settle their differences.
There have been attempts to prevent such hostilities: two such initiatives were promoted by the Council
of Europe, founded in 1949, which affirms the right of minority language speakers to use their language
fully and freely.[28] The Council of Europe is committed to protecting linguistic diversity. Currently all
European countries except France, Andorra and Turkey have signed the Framework Convention for the
Protection of National Minorities, while Greece, Iceland and Luxembourg have signed it, but have not
ratified it; this framework entered into force in 1998. Another European treaty, the European Charter
for Regional or Minority Languages, was adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe: it
entered into force in 1998, and while it is legally binding for 24 countries, France, Iceland, Italy, North
Macedonia, Moldova and Russia have chosen to sign without ratifying the convention.
Scripts
The main scripts used in Europe today are the Latin and Cyrillic.
The Greek alphabet was derived from the Phoenician alphabet, and Latin was derived from the Greek
via the Old Italic alphabet. In the Early Middle Ages, Ogham was used in Ireland and runes (derived
from Old Italic script) in Scandinavia. Both were replaced in general use by the Latin alphabet by the
Late Middle Ages. The Cyrillic script was derived from the Greek with the first texts appearing around
940 AD.
Around 1900 there were mainly two typeface variants of the Latin alphabet used in Europe: Antiqua
and Fraktur. Fraktur was used most for German, Estonian, Latvian, Norwegian and Danish whereas
Antiqua was used for Italian, Spanish, French, Polish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Swedish and
Finnish. The Fraktur variant was banned by Hitler in 1941, having been described as "Schwabacher
Jewish letters".[29] Other scripts have historically been in use in Europe, including Phoenician, from
which modern Latin letters descend, Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on Egyptian artefacts traded during
Antiquity, various runic systems used in Northern Europe preceding Christianisation, and Arabic
during the era of the Ottoman Empire.
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European Union
The European Union and the Council of Europe have been collaborating in education of member
populations in languages for "the promotion of plurilingualism" among EU member states.[32] The joint
document, "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching,
Assessment (CEFR)", is an educational standard defining "the competencies necessary for
communication" and related knowledge for the benefit of educators in setting up educational programs.
In a 2005 independent survey requested by the EU's Directorate-General for Education and Culture
regarding the extent to which major European languages were spoken in member states. The results
were published in a 2006 document, "Europeans and Their Languages", or "Eurobarometer 243". In
this study, statistically relevant samples of the population in each country were asked to fill out a survey
form concerning the languages that they spoke with sufficient competency "to be able to have a
conversation".[33]
List of languages
The following is a table of European languages. The number of speakers as a first or second language
(L1 and L2 speakers) listed are speakers in Europe only;[nb 1] see list of languages by number of native
speakers and list of languages by total number of speakers for global estimates on numbers of speakers.
The list is intended to include any language variety with an ISO 639 code. However, it omits sign
languages. Because the ISO-639-2 and ISO-639-3 codes have different definitions, this means that
some communities of speakers may be listed more than once. For instance, speakers of Bavarian are
listed both under "Bavarian" (ISO-639-3 code bar) as well as under "German" (ISO-639-2 code de).
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Northwest Karachay-
Abaza abq Caucasian, 49,800[34] Cherkessia
Abazgi (Russia)
Northwest
Adyghe ady Caucasian, 117,500[35] Adygea (Russia)
Circassian
Italy, Arbëresh
dialect: Sicily,
Albanian Albania, Calabria,[38]
5,367,000[36] Apulia, Molise,
(Shqip) Kosovo[nb 3],
Arbëresh
sq Indo-European 5,877,100[37] North
Basilicata,
Arvanitika (Balkans) Abruzzo,
Macedonia
Campania
Montenegro
(Ulcinj, Tuzi)
Indo-European,
Romance, Aragon
Aragonese an 25,000[39] 55,000[40]
Western, West (Spain)[nb 4]
Iberian
Indo-European,
North Macedonia
Aromanian rup Romance, 114,000[41] (Kruševo)
Eastern
Indo-European,
Asturian
Romance,
(Astur- ast
Western, West 351,791[42] 641,502[42] Asturias[nb 4]
Leonese)
Iberian
Northeast
Dagestan
Avar av Caucasian, 760,000
(Russia)
Avar–Andic
Dagestan
Azerbaijani az Turkic, Oghuz 500,000[43] Azerbaijan
(Russia)
Bashkortostan
Bashkir ba Turkic, Kipchak 1,221,000[44] (Russia)
Basque Country:
Basque
Autonomous
Community,
Basque eu Basque 750,000[45] Navarre (Spain),
French Basque
Country
(France)[nb 4]
Indo-European,
Germanic, West, Austria (as
Bavarian bar
High German, 14,000,000[46] German)
South Tyrol
Upper, Bavarian
Indo-European,
Belarusian be
Slavic, East 3,300,000[47] Belarus
Indo-European,
Slavic, South, Bosnia and Kosovo[nb 3],
Bosnian bs
Western, Serbo- 2,500,000[48] Herzegovina Montenegro
Croatian
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None, de facto
Indo-European,
Breton br
Celtic, Brittonic 206,000[49] status in Brittany
(France)
Indo-European,
Mount Athos
Bulgarian bg Slavic, South, 7,800,000[50] Bulgaria
(Greece)
Eastern
Balearic Islands
(Spain),
Catalonia
(Spain),
Indo-European, Valencian
Romance, Community
Catalan ca Western, 4,000,000[51] 10,000,000[52] Andorra (Spain), Aragon
Occitano-
(Spain)[nb 4],
Romance
Pyrénées-
Orientales
(France)[nb 4],
Alghero (Italy)
Chuvashia
Chuvash cv Turkic, Oghur 1,100,000[54] (Russia)
Indo-European,
Germanic, West,
Cimbrian cim
High German, 400[55]
Upper, Bavarian
Indo-European, Burgenland
Bosnia and
Slavic, South, [59] (Austria),
Croatian hr 5,600,000 Herzegovina,
Western, Serbo- Vojvodina
Croatia
Croatian (Serbia)
Indo-European,
Czech
Czech cs Slavic, West, 10,600,000[60] Republic
Czech–Slovak
Faroe Islands
(Denmark),
Indo-European,
Danish da
Germanic, North 5,500,000[61] Denmark Schleswig-
Holstein
(Germany)[62]
Indo-European,
Belgium,
Dutch nl Germanic, West, 22,000,000[63] Netherlands
Low Franconian
Indo-European,
Elfdalian ovd 2000
Germanic, North
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Indo-European,
Romance,
Emilian egl
Western, Gallo-
Italic
Indo-European,
Ireland, Malta,
Germanic, West,
English en
Anglo-Frisian, 63,000,000[64] 260,000,000[65] United
Kingdom
Anglic
Uralic, Finno- Mordovia
Erzya myv
Ugric, Mordvinic 120,000[66] (Russia)
Uralic, Finno-
Estonian et
Ugric, Finnic 1,165,400[67] Estonia
Indo-European,
Romance,
Extremaduran ext
Western, West 200,000[68]
Iberian
Indo-European, Faroe Islands
Faroese fo
Germanic, North 66,150[69] (Denmark)
Sweden, Norway,
Uralic, Finno-
Finnish fi
Ugric, Finnic 5,400,000[70] Finland Republic of
Karelia (Russia)
Indo-European,
Franco-
Romance, Aosta Valley
Provençal frp
Western, Gallo- 140,000[71] (Italy)
(Arpitan)
Romance
Belgium,
Indo-European,
Romance,
France, Aosta Valley[73]
French fr
Western, Gallo- 81,000,000[72] 210,000,000[65] Luxembourg, (Italy), Jersey
Monaco, (United Kingdom)
Romance, Oïl
Switzerland
Friesland
fry Indo-European, (Netherlands),
Frisian frr Germanic, West, 470,000[74] Schleswig-
stq Anglo-Frisian Holstein
(Germany)[75]
Indo-European,
Romance,
Friulan fur
Western, Gallo- 600,000[76] Friuli (Italy)
Italic
Gagauzia
Gagauz gag Turkic, Oghuz 140,000[77] (Moldova)
Galicia (Spain),
Eo-Navia
(Asturias)[nb 4],
Indo-European, Bierzo (Province
Romance,
Galician gl
Western, West 2,400,000[78] of León)[nb 4] and
Western
Iberian
Sanabria
(Province of
Zamora)[nb 4]
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Austria,
Belgium,
Indo-European, South Tyrol,[80]
[79] [65] Germany,
German de Germanic, West, 97,000,000 170,000,000 Friuli-Venezia
Liechtenstein,
High German
Luxembourg, Giulia[81] (Italy)
Switzerland
Albania (Himara,
Finiq, Dervican
Indo-European, Cyprus,
Greek el
Hellenic 13,500,000[82] Greece
and other
southern
townships)
Burgenland
(Austria),
Vojvodina
(Serbia),
Uralic, Finno- Romania,
Hungarian hu
Ugric, Ugric 13,000,000[83] Hungary
Slovakia,
Subcarpathia
(Ukraine),
Prekmurje,
(Slovenia)
Indo-European,
Icelandic is
Germanic, North 330,000[84] Iceland
Uralic, Finno-
Ingrian izh
Ugric, Finnic 120[85]
Northeast
Ingushetia
Ingush inh Caucasian, 300,000[86] (Russia)
Nakh
Indo-European,
Istriot ist
Romance 900[88]
Indo-European,
Istro-Romanian ruo Romance, 1,100[89]
Eastern
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Kabardino-
Northwest Balkaria &
Kabardian kbd Caucasian, 530,000[97] Karachay-
Circassian Cherkessia
(Russia)
Kalmykia
Kalmyk xal Mongolic 80,500[98] (Russia)
Uralic, Finno- Republic of
Karelian krl
Ugric, Finnic 36,000[99] Karelia (Russia)
Kabardino-
Balkaria &
Karachay-
Balkar
krc Turkic, Kipchak 300,000[100] Karachay-
Cherkessia
(Russia)
Indo-European,
Kashubian csb Slavic, West, 50,000[101] Poland
Lechitic
Astrakhan Oblast
Kazakh kk Turkic, Kipchak 1,000,000[102] Kazakhstan
(Russia)
Uralic, Finno-
Kven fkv 2000-8000 Norway
Ugric, Finnic
Dagestan
Kumyk kum Turkic, Kipchak 450,000[104] (Russia)
Indo-European,
Latin la Italic, Latino- extinct few[105] Vatican City
Faliscan
Indo-European,
Latvian lv
Baltic 1,750,000[106] Latvia
Indo-European,
Lithuanian lt
Baltic 3,000,000[111] Lithuania
Indo-European,
Romance,
Lombard lmo
Western, Gallo- 3,600,000[112] Lombardy (Italy)
Italic
Schleswig-
Low German nds Indo-European, [113] [113] Holstein
(Low Saxon) wep Germanic, West 1,000,000 2,600,000
(Germany)[114]
Luxembourgish lb Indo-European, 336,000[115] 386,000[115] Luxembourg Wallonia
Germanic, West, (Belgium)
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Indo-European,
North
Macedonian mk Slavic, South, 1,400,000[116] Macedonia
Eastern
Indo-European,
Germanic, West,
Mainfränkisch vmf
High German, 4,900,000[117]
Upper
Indo-European,
Manx gv
Celtic, Goidelic 230[119] 2,300[120] Isle of Man
chm
Uralic, Finno-
Mari mhr
Ugric 500,000[121] Mari El (Russia)
mrj
Indo-European,
Megleno-
Romanian
ruq Romance, 3,000[122]
Eastern
Indo-European,
Romance, Miranda do
Mirandese mwl
Western, West 15,000[123] Douro (Portugal)
Iberian
Indo-European,
Slavic, South,
Montenegrin cnr
Western, Serbo- 240,700[125] Montenegro
Croatian
Indo-European,
Campania
Neapolitan nap Romance, Italo- 5,700,000[126]
Dalmatian (Italy)[127]
Nenets
Uralic,
Nenets yrk
Samoyedic 4,000[128] Autonomous
Okrug (Russia)
Indo-European,
Guernsey (United
Romance,
Norman nrf
Western, Gallo- 50,000[129] Kingdom), Jersey
(United Kingdom)
Romance, Oïl
Indo-European,
Norwegian no
Germanic, North 5,200,000[130] Norway
Indo-European,
Romance, Catalonia
Occitan oc Western, 500,000[131]
Occitano- (Spain)[nb 5]
Romance
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Indo-European,
Romance, Wallonia
Picard pcd
Western, Gallo- 200,000[134] (Belgium)
Romance, Oïl
Indo-European,
Romance, Piedmont
Piedmontese pms 1,600,000[135]
Western, Gallo- (Italy)[136]
Italic
Indo-European,
Polish pl Slavic, West, 38,500,000[137] Poland
Lechitic
Indo-European,
Romance,
Portuguese pt
Western, West 10,000,000[138] Portugal
Iberian
Veneto Belluno,
fur Indo-European, Friuli-Venezia
Rhaeto-
Romance
lld Romance, 370,000[139] Switzerland Giulia, South
roh Western Tyrol,[140] &
Trentino (Italy)
Indo-European,
Ripuarian Germanic, West,
(Platt)
ksh
High German, 900,000[141]
Central
Indo-European,
Romance,
Romagnol rgn
Western, Gallo-
Italic
Indo-European,
Indo-Iranian,
Romani rom
Indo-Aryan, 1,500,000[142] Kosovo[nb 3][143]
Western
Mount Athos
Indo-European,
[144] [145] Moldova, (Greece),
Romanian ro Romance, 24,000,000 28,000,000 Romania Vojvodina
Eastern
(Serbia)
Mount Athos
(Greece),
Gagauzia
Belarus,
Indo-European, (Moldova), Left
Russian ru
Slavic, East 106,000,000[146] 160,000,000[146] Kazakhstan,
Bank of the
Russia
Dniester
(Moldova),
Ukraine
Uralic, Finno-
Sami se
Ugric 23,000[147] Norway Sweden, Finland
Indo-European,
Sardinian sc
Romance 1,350,000[148] Sardinia (Italy)
Indo-European,
Sicilian scn Romance, Italo- 4,700,000[152] Sicily (Italy)
Dalmatian
Indo-European,
Silesian szl Slavic, West, 522,000[153]
Lechitic
Indo-European,
Silesian Germanic, West,
German
sli
High German, 11,000[154]
Central
Indo-European, Vojvodina
Slovak sk Slavic, West, 5,200,000[155] Slovakia (Serbia), Czech
Czech–Slovak Republic
Indo-European,
Friuli-Venezia
Slovene sl Slavic, South, 2,100,000[156] Slovenia
Western Giulia[81] (Italy)
Brandenburg &
Sorbian Indo-European, [157] Sachsen
wen 20,000
(Wendish) Slavic, West
(Germany)[158]
Indo-European,
Romance, Gibraltar (United
Spanish es
Western, West 47,000,000[159] 76,000,000[65] Spain
Kingdom)
Iberian
Indo-European,
Germanic, West,
Swabian
German
swg High German, 820,000[160]
Upper,
Alemannic
Indo-European, Finland,
Swedish sv
Germanic, North 11,100,000[161] 13,280,000[161] Sweden
Indo-European,
Germanic, West,
Switzerland (as
Swiss German gsw High German, 5,000,000[162] German)
Upper,
Alemannic
Northeast
Dagestan
Tabasaran tab Caucasian, 126,900[163] (Russia)
Lezgic
Indo-European, Dagestan
Tat ttt
Iranian, Western 30,000[164] (Russia)
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Tatarstan
Tatar tt Turkic, Kipchak 4,300,000[165] (Russia)
Indo-European,
Germanic, West,
Upper Saxon sxu
High German, 2,000,000[169]
Central
Indo-European,
Romance, Wallonia
Walloon wa
Western, Gallo- 600,000[174] (Belgium)
Romance, Oïl
Indo-European,
Germanic, West,
Walser
German
wae High German, 20,000[175]
Upper,
Alemannic
Indo-European,
Wymysorys wym Germanic, West, 70[177]
High German
Indo-European,
Yenish yec Germanic, West, 16,000[178] Switzerland[nb 4]
High German
Bosnia and
Herzegovina[nb 4],
Indo-European, Netherlands[nb 4],
Yiddish yi Germanic, West, 600,000[179] Poland[nb 4],
High German Romania[nb 4],
Sweden[nb 4],
Ukraine[nb 4]
Indo-European,
Zeelandic zea Germanic, West, 220,000[180]
Low Franconian
There are various definitions of Europe, which may or may not include all or parts of Turkey, Cyprus,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. For convenience, the languages and associated statistics for all five
of these countries are grouped together on this page, as they are usually presented at a national, rather
than subnational, level.
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Abkhazia/Georgia:[181]
Northwest
Abkhaz ab
Caucasian, Abazgi 191,000[182] Abkhazia Abkhazia
Turkey: 44,000[183]
Adyghe Northwest
(West ady Caucasian, Turkey: 316,000[183]
Circassian) Circassian
Armenia: 3 million[184]
Artsakh/Azerbaijan:[185]
145,000
Georgia: around 0.2
Indo-European, Armenia
Armenian hy million ethnic Cyprus
Armenian Artsakh
Armenians (Abkhazia:
44,870[186])
Turkey: 61,000[183]
Cyprus: 668[187]: 3
Azerbaijan 9 million[188]
Azerbaijani az Turkic, Oghuz Turkey: 540,000[183] Azerbaijan
Georgia 0.2 million
Northeast
Batsbi bbl
Caucasian, Nakh Georgia: 500[189]
Indo-European,
Bulgarian bg
Slavic, South Turkey: 351,000[183]
Georgia: 3,224,696[190]
Georgian ka
Kartvelian, Karto- Turkey: 151,000[183] Georgia
Zan Azerbaijan: 9,192
ethnic Georgians[191]
Cyprus:
Indo-European,
Greek el 679,883[192]: 2.2 Cyprus
Hellenic
Turkey: 3,600[183]
Indo-European, Azerbaijan: 24,000
Juhuri jdt Indo-Iranian,
Iranian, Southwest (1989)[193]
Turkey: 15 million[194]
Indo-European,
Kurdish kur Indo-Iranian, Armenia: 33,509[195] Armenia
Iranian, Northwest Georgia: 14,000
Azerbaijan: 9,000
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Romani
language rom, Indo-European,
and Domari dmt Indo-Iranian, Indic Turkey: 500,000[183]
language
Armenia:
about 0.9
million[202]
Azerbaijan:
Armenia: 15,000[201] about 2.6
Indo-European, Azerbaijan: Abkhazia Armenia
Russian ru million[202]
Balto-Slavic, Slavic 250,000[201] Georgia:
South Ossetia Azerbaijan
Georgia: 130,000[201] about 1
million[202]
Cyprus:
20,984[203]
Georgia (incl.
Svan sva Kartvelian, Svan
Abkhazia): 30,000[204]
Indo-European,
Tat ttt Indo-Aryan, Azerbaijan: 10,000[205]
Iranian, Southwest
Immigrant communities
Recent (post–1945) immigration to Europe introduced substantial communities of speakers of non-
European languages.[1]
The largest such communities include Arabic speakers (see Arabs in Europe) and Turkish speakers
(beyond European Turkey and the historical sphere of influence of the Ottoman Empire, see Turks in
Europe).[208] Armenians, Berbers, and Kurds have diaspora communities of c. 1–2,000,000 each. The
various languages of Africa and languages of India form numerous smaller diaspora communities.
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See also
Europe portal
Language portal
Notes
1. "Europe" is taken as a geographical term, defined by the conventional Europe-Asia boundary along
the Caucasus and the Urals. Estimates for populations geographically in Europe are given for
transcontinental countries.
2. Sovereign states, defined as United Nations member states and observer states. 'Recognised
minority language' status is not included.
3. The Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognized state (recognized by 111 out of 193 UN member
states as of 2017).
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9. This includes all of the varieties of Sardinian, written with any orthography (the LSC, used for all of
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dialects of it) but does not include Gallurese and Sassarese, that even though they have sometimes
been included in a supposed Sardinian "macro-language" are actually considered by all Sardinian
linguists two different transitional languages between Sardinian and Corsican (or, in the case of
Gallurese, are sometimes classified as a variant of Corsican). For Gallurese: ATTI DEL II
CONVEGNO INTERNAZIONALE DI STUDI Ciurrata di la Linga Gadduresa, 2014 (http://maxia-mail.
doomby.com/medias/files/atti-def-2015.compressed.pdf) , for Sassarese: Maxia, Mauro (2010).
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luce delle cospicue migrazioni corse che fin dall'età giudicale interessarono soprattutto il nord della
Sardegna. In effetti, che il settentrione della Sardegna, almeno dalla metà del Quattrocento, fosse
interessato da un forte presenza corsa si può desumere da diversi punti di osservazione. Una delle
prove più evidenti è costituita dall'espressa citazione che di questo fenomeno fa il cap. 42 del
secondo libro degli Statuti del comune di Sassari, il quale fu aggiunto nel 1435 o subito dopo. Se si
tiene conto di questa massiccia presenza corsa e del fatto che la presenza pisana nel regno di
Logudoro cessò definitivamente entro il Duecento, l'origine del fondo toscano non andrà attribuita a
un influsso diretto del pisano antico ma del corso che rappresenta, esso stesso, una conseguenza
dell'antica toscanizzazione della Corsica"). They are legally considered two different languages by
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The memorandum itself is typed in Antiqua, but the NSDAP letterhead is printed in Fraktur.
"For general attention, on behalf of the Führer, I make the following announcement:
It is wrong to regard or to describe the so‑called Gothic script as a German script. In reality, the
so‑called Gothic script consists of Schwabach Jew letters. Just as they later took control of the
newspapers, upon the introduction of printing the Jews residing in Germany took control of the
printing presses and thus in Germany the Schwabach Jew letters were forcefully introduced.
Today the Führer, talking with Herr Reichsleiter Amann and Herr Book Publisher Adolf Müller, has
decided that in the future the Antiqua script is to be described as normal script. All printed materials
are to be gradually converted to this normal script. As soon as is feasible in terms of textbooks, only
the normal script will be taught in village and state schools.
The use of the Schwabach Jew letters by officials will in future cease; appointment certifications for
functionaries, street signs, and so forth will in future be produced only in normal script.
On behalf of the Führer, Herr Reichsleiter Amann will in future convert those newspapers and
periodicals that already have foreign distribution, or whose foreign distribution is desired, to normal
script".
30. "Languages Policy: Linguistic diversity: Official languages of the EU" (http://ec.europa.eu/language
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ec.europa.eu/education/languages/languages-of-europe/doc135_en.htm). European Commission,
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es-of-europe/doc135_en.htm) on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
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33. "Europeans and Their Languages" (http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pd
f) (PDF). European Commission. 2006. p. 8. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
34. Abaza (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/abq/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
35. Adyghe (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ady/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
36. Albanian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sqi/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
37. "Albanian" (https://www.ethnologue.com/language/sqi). Ethnologue. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
Population total of all languages of the Albanian macrolanguage.
38. "Archived copy" (https://web.archive.org/web/20090806193843/http://www.consiglioregionale.calabri
a.it/upload/testicoordinati/LR%2015-2003%28TC%29.doc). Archived from the original (http://www.co
nsiglioregionale.calabria.it/upload/testicoordinati/LR%2015-2003%28TC%29.doc) on 6 August
2009. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
39. https://zaguan.unizar.es/record/60448 Report about Census of population 2011 of Aragonese
Sociolinguistics Seminar and University of Zaragoza
40. "Más de 50.000 personas hablan aragonés" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150101002219/http://w
ww.aragondigital.es/noticia.asp?notid=126286). Aragón Digital. Archived from the original (http://hist
orico.aragondigital.es/noticia.asp?notid=126286) on 1 January 2015.
41. Aromanian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/rup/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
42. III Sociolinguistic Study of Asturias (2017) (https://www.ehu.eus/documents/1457190/1547454/Avan
ce+III+Encuesta+Sociolling%C3%BC%C3%ADstica+Asturias.pdf/aba19c6f-4dab-470c-8a33-15724
8373072). Euskobarometro.
43. c. 130,000 in Dagestan. In addition, there are about 0.5 million speakers in immigrant communities
in Russia, see #Immigrant communities. Azerbaijani (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/az
e/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
44. Bashkort (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bak/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
45. (in French) VI° Enquête Sociolinguistique en Euskal herria (Communauté Autonome d'Euskadi,
Navarre et Pays Basque Nord) (http://www.mintzaira.fr/fileadmin/documents/Aktualitateak/015_VI_E
NQUETE_PB__Fr.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20180821114111/http://www.mintzaira.
fr/fileadmin/documents/Aktualitateak/015_VI_ENQUETE_PB__Fr.pdf) 21 August 2018 at the
Wayback Machine (2016).
46. German dialect, Bavarian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bar/) at Ethnologue (18th ed.,
2015) (subscription required)
47. Belarusian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bel/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
48. Bosnian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bos/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
49. Breton (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bre/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
50. Bulgarian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bul/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
51. "Catalan" (http://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/cat/). 19 November 2019.
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52. "Informe sobre la Situació de la Llengua Catalana | Xarxa CRUSCAT. Coneixements, usos i
representacions del català" (http://blogs.iec.cat/cruscat/publicacions/informe/). blogs.iec.cat.
53. Chechen (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/che/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
54. Chuvash (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/chv/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
55. German dialect, Cimbrian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/cim/) at Ethnologue (18th ed.,
2015) (subscription required)
56. UK 2011 Census
57. Corsican (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/cos/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
58. Crimean Tatar (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/crh/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
59. Croatian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/hrv/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
60. Czech (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ces/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
61. Danish (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/dan/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
62. recognized as official language in Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Flensburg and Rendsburg-
Eckernförde (§ 82b LVwG (http://www.lexsoft.de/cgi-bin/lexsoft/justizportal_nrw.cgi?xid=148815,38
1))
63. Dutch (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nld/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
64. English (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/eng/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
65. Europeans and their Languages (http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160106183351/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archive
s/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf) 6 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Data for EU27 (http://ec.europa.e
u/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2013042
9224902/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf) 29 April 2013 at the
Wayback Machine, published in 2012.
66. Erzya (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/myv/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
67. Estonian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/est/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
68. Extremaduran (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ext/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
69. Faroese (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fao/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
70. Finnish (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fin/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
71. Franco-Provençal (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/frp/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
72. French (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fra/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
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113. 2.6 million cited as estimate of all Germans who speak Platt "well or very well" (including L2; 4.3
million cited as the number of all speakers including those with "moderate" knowledge) in 2009.
Heute in Bremen. „Ohne Zweifel gefährdet" (http://www.taz.de/1/archiv/print-archiv/printressorts/digi
-artikel/?ressort=ra&dig=2009%2F02%2F21%2Fa0171&cHash=e05509f6d9/). Frerk Möller im
Interview, taz, 21. Februar 2009. However, Wirrer (1998) described Low German as "moribund".Jan
Wirrer: Zum Status des Niederdeutschen. In: Zeitschrift für Germanistische Linguistik. 26, 1998,
S. 309. The number of native speakers is unknown, estimated at 1 million by SIL Ethnologue. Low
German (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nds/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required), Westphalian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/wep/) at Ethnologue
(18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
114. The question whether Low German should be considered as subsumed under "German" as the
official language of Germany has a complicated legal history. In the wake of the ratification of the
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1998), Schleswig-Holstein has explicitly
recognized Low German as a regional language with official status (§ 82b LVwG (http://www.lexsoft.
de/cgi-bin/lexsoft/justizportal_nrw.cgi?xid=148815,381)).
115. Luxembourgish (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ltz/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
116. Macedonian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mkd/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
117. German dialect, Main-Franconian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/vmf/) at Ethnologue
(18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
118. Maltese (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mlt/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
119. Manx (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/glv/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
120. Whitehead, Sarah (2 April 2015). "How the Manx language came back from the dead" (https://www.t
heguardian.com/education/2015/apr/02/how-manx-language-came-back-from-dead-isle-of-man).
theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
121. Mari (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/chm/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription
required)
122. Megleno-Romanian (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ruq/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
123. Mirandese (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mwl/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
124. Moksha (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mdf/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
125. "Montenegro" (https://www.ethnologue.com/country/ME/languages). Ethnologue. Retrieved 29 April
2018.
126. Neapolitan (https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nap/) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
(subscription required)
127. In 2008, law was passed by the Region of Campania, stating that the Neapolitan language was to
be legally protected. "Tutela del dialetto, primo via libera al Ddl campano" (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20110727043316/http://www.denaro.it/VisArticolo.aspx?IdArt=548026). Il Denaro (in Italian). 15
October 2008. Archived from the original (http://www.denaro.it/VisArticolo.aspx?IdArt=548026) on
27 July 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
128. total 22,000 native speakers (2010 Russian census) out of an ethnic population of 44,000. Most of
these are in Siberia, with about 8,000 ethnic Nenets in European Russia (2010 census, mostly in
Nenets Autonomous Okrug)
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External links
Everson, Michael (2001). "The Alphabets of Europe" (http://www.evertype.com/alphabets).
evertype.com. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
Haarmann, Harald (2011). "Europe's Mosaic of Languages" (http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:015
9-2011081855). Institute of European History. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
Reissmann, Stefan; Argador, Urion (2006). "Luingoi in Europa" (https://web.archive.org/web/200906
22183043/http://www.argador.info/skope/tero/Regioi/Europa/kultur/scpraaxoi/index.html) (in
Esperanto, English, and German). Reissmann & Argador. Archived from the original (http://www.arg
ador.info/skope/tero/Regioi/Europa/kultur/scpraaxoi/index.html) on 22 June 2009. Retrieved
2 November 2009.
Map of Minorities & Regional and Minority Languages of Europe, Language Diversity (2017) (http://
www.map.language-diversity.eu/) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220409044913/http://ww
w.map.language-diversity.eu/) 9 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine
Zikin, Mutur (2007). "Europako Mapa linguistikoa" (http://www.muturzikin.com/carteseurope/europe.
htm) (in Basque). muturzikin.com. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
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