Overview
European languages mostly fall within three Indo-European language groups: the Romance languages, derived from the Latin language of the Roman Empire; the Germanic languages, whose ancestor language came from southern Scandinavia; and the Slavic languages.While having much of its vocabulary descended from Romance languages, the English language is a Germanic language.
Multilingualism and the protection of regional and minority languages are recognized political goals in Europe today. The Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the Council of Europe's European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages set up a legal framework for language rights in Europe.
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Languages of Europe in the Language Sets
French
French is the national or official language of the French Republic. It is an official language in 29 countries, most of which comprise what is called, in French, La Fransophonie, the community of French-speaking nations. It is an official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organizations. According to the European Union, 129 million people in 27 member states speak French, of which 65 million are native speakers and 69 million claim to speak it as a second language, which makes it the third most spoken second language in the Union, after English and German. In addition, prior to the ascension of English in the early 20th century, French served as the preeminent language of diplomacy among European and colonial powers.
Speakers |
It is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as a first language, by 190 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France, where the language originated. Most of the rest live in Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Francophone Africa, Luxembourg, and Monaco. |
Region |
Also spoken in Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Haiti, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Monaco, Morocco, New Caledonia, Niger, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Réunion, Rwanda, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna |
Classification |
Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian, Oïl, French |
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
German
German is the national language of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native speakers. Standard German is widely taught in schools, universities, and Goethe Institutes worldwide.
Speakers |
Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native speakers. |
Region |
Also spoken in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Namibia, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia (Europe), Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Ukraine, UAE, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan |
Classification |
Indo-European, Germanic, West, High German, German, Middle German, East Middle German |
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Russian
Russian is a member of the Indo-European family of languages, which includes English and the other Germanic languages, the Romance languages and other languages of Europe, the Middle East, and the Asian subcontinent. Russian belongs to the Slavic group of languages, which is divided into West Slavic (Czech, Slovak, Polish and Sorbian), South Slavic (Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian and Slovenian), and East Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian).
Russian is the native language of some 150 million citizens of the Russian Federal Republic. It is one of the five official languages of the United Nations, and ranks with English, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu and Spanish as a major world language. Russian remains the unofficial lingua franca of the former Soviet republics, an indispensable communications tool across all of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Russian is a major language for scientific publication, and it is an increasingly important language for business and trade as Russian institutions, both public and private, integrate with their European and American counterparts. Although for the moment the country is not an economic or military superpower, Russia still exerts considerable political influence around the world, and there will always be a need for American specialists in Russian affairs.
| Speakers |
167 million first-language speakers; an additional 110 million second-language speakers |
| Region |
Also spoken in 30 other countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova |
| Classification |
Indo-European, Slavic, East |
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Resources
Order OCLC Language Sets
Other Language Sets pages
Languages of Asia
Languages of India
Languages of the Americas
Languages of the Phillipines
Other links
Languages by country
Ten most widely spoken world languages |
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