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Latin and Other European Languages
 Latin
was the language of the Roman Empire. Originally spoken only in the city
of Rome, Latin became the official language of business and government
as the empire expanded to most of Western Europe. Many people living in
Roman provinces spoke local languages. In time, the languages blended
with Latin to form what we now call Romance languages. Romance refers
to the fact that the languages originated in Rome. Romance languages include
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Romanian.
Most Europeans speak Romance, Germanic, or
Slavic languages. Germanic languages are spoken primarily in northern
Europe, including the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Czech
Republic, and the United Kingdom. Slavic languages are spoken in Eastern
Europe, primarily in Poland, Russia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Macedonia,
Bosnia, and Serbia.
Many people in Western Europe spoke Celtic
languages before the expansion of the Roman Empire. Few people speak Celtic
languages today, though the influence of the Celtic people lives on in
stories and myths. Leprechauns, Halloween, and the Blarney Stone are remnants
of Celtic culture. English became the language of the British Isles when
the British made Ireland, Scotland and Wales part of the United Kingdom.
In Ireland and Wales, students are encouraged to study the traditional
Celtic languages, but most speak English.
| The Languages of Europe I
have not been able to find a definitive ranking of languages of
Europe, so I combined several sources to create the table that follows.
The data comes from several sources including the CIA World Factbook
and the BBC, but I cannot vouch for its veracity and encourage you
to email me if you have better data.
| Language |
Primary
language population |
European
nations where the language is spoken |
| Russian |
121,500,000 |
Russia,
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine,
Romania, Bulgaria |
| German |
121,000,000 |
Germany,
Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, France, Belgium,
Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Hungary, Romania, Russia |
| Italian |
63,000,000 |
Italy,
Switzerland, Malta, Monaco, Slovenia, Croatia |
| French |
62,000,000 |
France,
Monaco, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy |
| English |
60,000,000 |
United
Kingdom, Ireland, Gibraltar, Malta |
| Polish |
44,000,000 |
Poland,
Belarus, Ukraine, UK, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Hungary |
| Ukrainian |
41,000,000 |
Ukraine,
Belarus, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia |
| Spanish |
40,000,000 |
Spain,
Andorra, UK, France, Germany |
| Romanian |
26,000,000 |
Romania,
Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece |
| Dutch |
21,000,000 |
Netherlands,
Belgium, France |
| Serbian |
21,000,000 |
Serbia
and Montenegro, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Germany |
| Turkish |
15,000,000 |
Turkey,
Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro,
Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Romania |
| Hungarian |
14,500,000 |
Hungary,
Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine, Austria,
Slovenia |
| Czech |
12,000,000 |
Czech
Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Austria, Ukraine |
| Greek |
12,000,000 |
Greece,
Cyprus, UK, Germany, Albania, Italy, Turkey |
| Belarusian |
10,200,000 |
Belarus,
Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia |
| Portuguese |
10,000,000 |
Portugal,
Spain, UK, France, Germany |
| Bulgarian |
9,000,000 |
Bulgaria,
Serbia and Montenegro, Moldova, Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey |
| Swedish |
9,000,000 |
Sweden,
Finland |
| Finnish |
6,000,000 |
Finland,
Russia, Sweden, Norway |
| Slovak |
5,606,000 |
Slovakia,
Serbia and Montenegro, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine |
| Flemish |
5,500,000 |
Belgium,
Netherlands, France |
| Danish |
5,292,000 |
Denmark,
Faroe Islands, Greenland, Germany |
| Catalan |
5,250,000 |
Spain,
Andorra, France, Italy |
| Norwegian |
5,000,000 |
Norway,
Denmark, Sweden |
| Croatian |
4,800,000 |
Croatia,
Austria, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Germany |
| Moldovan |
4,400,000 |
Moldova,
Romania |
| Bosnian |
4,000,000 |
Bosnia,
Austria, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Germany |
| Lithuanian |
4,000,000 |
Lithuania,
Russia, Latvia, Poland, UK, Belarus, Germany, Estonia, Sweden |
| Slovene |
2,218,000 |
Slovenia,
Austria, Italy, Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro |
| Macedonian |
2,000,000 |
Macedonia,
Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro |
| Latvian |
1,550,000 |
Latvia,
Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Sweden, Ukraine |
| Estonian |
1,100,000 |
Estonia,
Latvia, Russia, Sweden |
| Basque |
800,000 |
Spain,
France |
| Scottish
Gaelic |
600,000 |
United
Kingdom |
| Welsh |
600,000 |
United
Kingdom |
| Albanian |
500,000 |
Albania,
Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece |
| Maltese |
400,000 |
Malta |
| Icelandic |
280,000 |
Iceland |
| Luxembourgish |
275,000 |
Luxembourg |
| Irish |
175,000 |
Ireland,
UK |
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