Home›Languages›Language Family (Classification)›Indo-EuropeanLanguage FamilyIndo-EuropeanAlso Known As Indo-Germanic Historical synonym, still the standard scientific term in German (indogermanisch); now dated or less common than "Indo-European" in most other languages.Eurasian Language FamiliesReference and ClassificationVerifiedIndo-European is the largest language family by number of speakers, comprising most of the languages of Europe together with a broad band running through Iran and South Asia. Its branches include Germanic, Romance, Slavic, Celtic, Indo-Iranian, Hellenic, Baltic, Armenian and Albanian, along with extinct branches such as Anatolian (Hittite) and Tocharian. The family was recognized in the late eighteenth century when Sanskrit, Greek and Latin were shown to share systematic correspondences too regular to be coincidence, founding the comparative method that historical linguistics still uses. Whether Anatolian split off before or alongside the rest of the family, the Indo-Hittite question, remains debated among specialists.FactsIndo-EuropeanFAQsConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsRegionWell-attestedOriginating across Europe and southern and central Asia; today spoken on every inhabited continent through colonization and migration 1Speaker CountWell-attested3,238,000,000 2Aggregate across all Indo-European languages, the largest of any family by number of speakers; mid-2020s estimate.Proto-Language StatusWell-attestedProto-Indo-European is among the most thoroughly reconstructed proto-languages, established via the comparative method beginning with observations by Sir William Jones on the shared ancestry of Sanskrit, Greek and Latin, and refined over two centuries by Bopp, Grimm, Saussure and their successors. 3Indo-EuropeanFilter Results29 entriesRegionAllAlbania, Kosovo (1)Andorra, France, Italy, Spain (1)Eastern Mediterranean, Greco-Roman world (1)India (1)Iran (1)Latium (the lower Tiber area around Rome, Italy) (1)Lithuania (1)Nepal (1)Northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan (1)Pontic-Caspian steppe of eastern Europe and central Asia (1)Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (1)Southeastern Europe (1)United Kingdom (Wales, England), Argentina (Chubut Province) (1)West Punjab, Hazara, Azad Kashmir (1)StatusAllClassical (No Native Speakers) (2)Extinct (2)Liturgical / Learned Use Only (1)Living (24)Speaker Count BandAll0.000000 (3)70000.000000 (1)71968.000000 (1)538300.000000 (1)4000000.000000 (1)4100000.000000 (1)5300000.000000 (1)7500000.000000 (1)19000000.000000 (1)22000000.000000 (1)51000000.000000 (1)52000000.000000 (1)62000000.000000 (1)65000000.000000 (1)83000000.000000 (1)99000000.000000 (1)118000000.000000 (1)135000000.000000 (1)237000000.000000 (1)246000000.000000 (1)267000000.000000 (1)312000000.000000 (1)345000000.000000 (1)560000000.000000 (1)1500000000.000000 (1)Script UsedAllArabic Script (4)Armenian Alphabet (1)Bengali-Assamese Script (1)Brahmi (2)Devanagari (5)Greek Script (1)Gujarati Script (1)Latin Script (14)Linear B (1)Ogham (1)Old Italic Script (1)Period Start YearAll-4500 (1)-1500 (1)-800 (2)-500 (1)-75 (1)301 (2)405 (1)450 (1)701 (1)739 (1)765 (1)782 (1)801 (1)842 (1)901 (1)981 (1)1001 (1)1207 (1)1462 (1)1501 (2)1521 (1)Descends FromAllAcadian French (1)African American Vernacular English (1)Andalusian Spanish (1)Angolan Portuguese (1)Australian English (1)Austrian German (1)Awadhi (1)Bavarian German (1)Belgian French (1)Braj Bhasha (1)Brazilian Portuguese (1)Cajun French (1)Canadian English (1)Canarian Spanish (1)Caribbean Spanish (1)Chilean Spanish (1)Cockney (1)Colombian Spanish (1)European Portuguese (1)Geordie (1)Haryanvi (1)Hiberno-English (1)Indian English (1)Jamaican Patois (1)Mexican Spanish (1)Neapolitan (1)New Zealand English (1)Newfoundland English (1)Nigerian English (1)Peruvian Spanish (1)Quebec French (1)Received Pronunciation (1)Rioplatense Spanish (1)Scottish English (1)Scouse (1)Sicilian (1)Singlish (1)South African English (1)Southern American English (1)Swabian German (1)Swiss French (1)Swiss German (1)Upper Saxon German (1)Venetian (1)Venezuelan Spanish (1)Welsh English (1)Yorkshire Dialect (1)Language KindAllDefinitely Endangered (2)Extinct (4)Safe (18)Vulnerable (2)Official StatusAllCo-Official Language (2)No Official Status (3)Official Language (21)Recognized Regional or Minority Language (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 29AlbanianIndo-EuropeanAncient GreekIndo-EuropeanArmenianIndo-EuropeanBengaliIndo-EuropeanBhojpuriIndo-EuropeanCatalanIndo-EuropeanEnglishIndo-EuropeanFrenchIndo-EuropeanGermanIndo-EuropeanGujaratiIndo-EuropeanHindiIndo-EuropeanIranian PersianIndo-EuropeanIrishIndo-EuropeanItalianIndo-EuropeanLatinIndo-EuropeanLithuanianIndo-EuropeanMarathiIndo-EuropeanNepaliIndo-EuropeanPashtoIndo-EuropeanPortugueseIndo-EuropeanPrakritIndo-EuropeanProto-Indo-EuropeanIndo-EuropeanRomanianIndo-EuropeanSanskritIndo-EuropeanScottish GaelicIndo-EuropeanSpanishIndo-EuropeanUrduIndo-EuropeanWelshIndo-EuropeanWestern PunjabiIndo-EuropeanFAQsHow many languages belong to the Indo-European family?Glottolog counts more than 500 languages in the Indo-European family.Glottolog, the open catalogue of the world's languages and language families, states on its Indo-European family page that the family has more than 500 languages. The same page asks readers to select an appropriate sub-family to see a more specific list of references, so the family is usually studied branch by branch.ConnectionsAncestor OfAnatolian, Language Families Well-attested Anatolian (Hittite, Luwian and their relatives) is a primary branch of Indo-European, the first to split from the rest of the family.Balto-Slavic, Language Families Well-attested Balto-Slavic, grouping the Baltic and Slavic languages, is a primary branch of Indo-European under the mainstream Balto-Slavic hypothesis.Celtic, Language Families Well-attested Celtic is a primary branch of Indo-European, once spoken across much of western and central Europe.Graeco-Phrygian languages, Language Families Scholarly debate Why this is disputed. Graeco-Phrygian is a proposed primary branch of Indo-European uniting Greek and the extinct Phrygian language on shared phonological and morphological innovations; the grouping is accepted by many Indo-Europeanists but not universal.Hellenic, Language Families Well-attested Hellenic (Greek and its ancient relatives) is a primary branch of Indo-European.Indo-Iranian, Language Families Well-attested Indo-Iranian, grouping the Indic and Iranian languages, is a primary branch of Indo-European.Italic, Language Families Well-attested Italic is a primary branch of Indo-European, ancestral to Latin and the modern Romance languages.Associated WithAntoine Meillet, Linguists Well-attested The dominant figure in early twentieth-century Indo-European comparative studies.Source Wikipedia: Antoine Meillettier 2August Schleicher, Linguists Well-attested Schleicher produced an early systematic reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European and modeled its descendant languages as a family tree.Source Wikipedia: August Schleichertier 2Berthold Delbrück, Linguists Well-attested Pioneered the comparative syntax of the Indo-European languages, extending the Neogrammarian method beyond phonology and morphology.Calvert Watkins, Linguists Well-attested Specialized in Indo-European poetics and the reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European verbal morphology, with particular attention to Hittite and Anatolian.Emile Benveniste, Linguists Well-attested ConnectedHis comparative study of Indo-European institutions and vocabulary is a landmark of the field.Source Wikipedia: Emile Benvenistetier 2Ferdinand de Saussure, Linguists Well-attested Source Memoire sur le systeme primitif des voyelles dans les langues indo-europeennesFerdinand de SaussureJacob Grimm, Linguists Well-attested Source Deutsche GrammatikJacob GrimmJerzy Kuryłowicz, Linguists Well-attested A leading Indo-Europeanist whose reconstructions of Proto-Indo-European ablaut and accentuation shaped mid-twentieth-century comparative linguistics.Karl Brugmann, Linguists Well-attested Co-authored the Neogrammarian Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik der indogermanischen Sprachen, the standard comparative grammar of the Indo-European languages.Michel Bréal, Linguists Well-attested A comparative philologist of the Indo-European languages who coined the term semantics in his 1897 Essai de semantique.William Jones, Linguists Well-attested Source The Third Anniversary Discourse to the Asiatic SocietyWilliam JonesIncludesAlbanian, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Albanian Languagetier 2Ancient Greek, Languages Well-attested Source GlottologArmenian, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Armenian Languagetier 2Bengali, Languages Well-attested Source The Cambridge Encyclopedia of LanguageDavid Crystal (editor)Bhojpuri, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Bhojpuri Languagetier 2Catalan, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Catalan Languagetier 2English, Languages Well-attested Source GlottologFrench, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: French Languagetier 2German, Languages Well-attested Source Ethnologue: Languages of the WorldGermanic, Language Families Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Germanic Languagestier 2Gujarati, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Gujarati Languagetier 2Hindi, Languages Well-attested Source GlottologIranian Persian, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Iranian Persiantier 2Irish, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Irish Languagetier 2Italian, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Italian Languagetier 2Latin, Languages Well-attested Source GlottologLithuanian, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Lithuanian Languagetier 2Marathi, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Marathi Languagetier 2Nepali, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Nepali Languagetier 2Pashto, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Pashtotier 2Portuguese, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Portuguese Languagetier 2Prakrit, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: PrakritProto-Indo-European, Languages Well-attested ConnectedProto-Indo-European is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European family, not a coordinate daughter classified alongside its member languages; recorded as associated rather than holds because this atlas has no dedicated ancestor-of relation type yet.Source Wikipedia: Proto-Indo-European LanguageRomanian, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Romanian Languagetier 2Sanskrit, Languages Well-attested Source GlottologScottish Gaelic, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Scottish Gaelictier 2Slavic, Language Families Well-attested Source The Cambridge Encyclopedia of LanguageDavid Crystal (editor)Spanish, Languages Well-attested Source GlottologUrdu, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Urdutier 2Welsh, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Welsh Languagetier 2Western Punjabi, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Lahndatier 2Long-Form ArticlesThe Student's Guess a Forgotten Language Later Confirmed, Articles Well-attested In the Other AtlasesIncludesPortugueseAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.Primitive IrishAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.Proto-GermanicAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.Proto-Indo-EuropeanAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.PunjabiAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.PunjabisAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.RussianAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.SanskritAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.SaxonsAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.SinhaleseAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.SlavsAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.SogdianAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.SpanishAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.Vedic SanskritAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.Younger AvestanAlso in Divinity Atlas: included in this subject.Showing 51 to 65 of 65 in Includes, page 2 of 2.← Previous12Found InAsiaAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.Central AsiaAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.EuropeAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.Sources1. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of LanguageDavid Crystal (editor), Cambridge University Press, 20102. Ethnologue: Languages of the WorldSIL International, 2024View the Source3. The Third Anniversary Discourse to the Asiatic SocietyWilliam Jones, 1786The Third Anniversary Discourse to the Asiatic Society, 1786, on the Hindus; cross checked against Wikipedia, primary 1786 text not independently located this sessionThe Sanscrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident.Associated With: William JonesWikipedia: Indo-European Languages (Family Article)tier 2Wikipedialead sectionA synonym is Indo-Germanic (Idg. or IdG.), specifying the family’s southeasternmost and northwesternmost branches.History of Indo-European linguistics sectionA synonym is Indo-Germanic (Idg. or IdG.), specifying the family's southeasternmost and northwesternmost branches.View the SourceWikidata: Indo-EuropeanWikidata Q19860, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the SourceGlottologMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyIncludes: EnglishIncludes: SpanishIncludes: HindiIncludes: LatinIncludes: SanskritIncludes: Ancient GreekView the SourceMemoire sur le systeme primitif des voyelles dans les langues indo-europeennesFerdinand de Saussure, 1878Associated With: Ferdinand de SaussureDeutsche GrammatikJacob Grimm, 1822Associated With: Jacob GrimmWikipedia: August Schleichertier 2Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: August Schleicher, Career sectionView the SourceWikipedia: Antoine Meillettier 2Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Antoine MeilletView the SourceWikipedia: Armenian Languagetier 2WikipediaIncludes: Armenian, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Armenian, Lead sectionArmenian (endonym: հայերեն, hayeren, pronounced [hɑjɛˈɾɛn] ) is the sole member of an independent branch in the Indo-European language family.View the SourceWikipedia: Emile Benvenistetier 2WikipediaAssociated With: Emile Benveniste, Notable Works sectionView the SourceWikipedia: Germanic Languagestier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Germanic, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Germanic, IntroductionThe Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family.View the SourceWikipedia: Proto-Indo-European LanguageWikimedia FoundationIncludes: Proto-Indo-European, Lead section, statement that PIE is the reconstructed common ancestor of the familyView the SourceWikipedia: French Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: French, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: French, Infobox, Language familyIndo-European Italic Latino-Faliscan Latinic Romance Italo-Western Western Romance Gallo-Iberian Gallo-Romance Gallo-Rhaetian Arpitan-Oil Oil Francien zone FrenchView the SourceWikipedia: Portuguese Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Portuguese, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Portuguese, Lead sectionPortuguese (endonym: português) is a Western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, written in the Latin script.View the SourceWikipedia: Urdutier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Urdu, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Urdu, Infobox, Language familyIndo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan > Central Zone > Western Hindi > Hindustani > UrduView the SourceWikipedia: Marathi Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Marathi, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Marathi, Infobox, Language familyIndo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan > Southern > Marathi-Konkani > MarathiView the SourceWikipedia: Lahndatier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Western Punjabi, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Western Punjabi, Infobox, Language familyIndo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan > Northwestern > LahndaView the SourceWikipedia: Iranian Persiantier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Iranian Persian, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Iranian Persian, Lead sectionIranian Persian (فارسی ایرانی, Fârsi-ye Irâni; Iranian Persian pronunciation: [fɒːɾˈsiːje ʔiː.ɹɒːˈníː]), Western Persian or Western Farsi, is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Iran and by others in neighboring countries, as well as by Iranian communities throughout the world.View the SourceWikipedia: Italian Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Italian, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Italian, Infobox, Language familyIndo-European > Italic > Latino-Faliscan > Latin > Romance > Italo-Western > Italo-Dalmatian > Italo-Romance > Tuscan > Northern Tuscan > Florentine > ItalianView the SourceWikipedia: Gujarati Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Gujarati, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Gujarati, Infobox, Language familyIndo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan > Western Indo-Aryan > Gujarati languages > GujaratiView the SourceWikipedia: Bhojpuri Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Bhojpuri, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Bhojpuri, Infobox, Language familyIndo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan > Eastern > Bihari > BhojpuriView the SourceWikipedia: PrakritWikimedia FoundationIncludes: Prakrit, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Prakrit, Lead sectionPrakrit ( PRAH-krit) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE.View the SourceWikipedia: Catalan Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Catalan, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Catalan, Infobox, Language familyTop family: Indo-European languages; immediate parent branch: Occitano-Romance languages.View the SourceWikipedia: Irish Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Irish, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Irish, Infobox, Language familyTop family: Indo-European; immediate parent branch: Goidelic (within Insular Celtic).View the SourceWikipedia: Welsh Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Welsh, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Welsh, Infobox, Language familyTop family: Indo-European; immediate branch: Brittonic (within Celtic, Insular Celtic).View the SourceWikipedia: Albanian Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Albanian, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Albanian, Infobox, Language familyTop family: Indo-European; immediate branch: Albanoid.View the SourceWikipedia: Romanian Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Romanian, Article textQuote, Includes: Romanian, Article textRomanian is a Romance language, belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family, having much in common with languages such as Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese.View the SourceWikipedia: Scottish Gaelictier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Scottish Gaelic, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Scottish Gaelic, Infobox, Language familyTop family: Indo-European; immediate branch: Goidelic (within Insular Celtic).View the SourceWikipedia: Pashtotier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Pashto, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Pashto, Infobox, Language familyTop family: Indo-European languages; immediate branch: Southeastern Iranian languages.View the SourceWikipedia: Lithuanian Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Lithuanian, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Lithuanian, Lead sectionLithuanian (lietuvių kalba, pronounced [lʲiəˈtʊvʲuː kɐɫˈbɐ]) is an East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of the official languages of the European Union.View the SourceWikipedia: Nepali Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Nepali, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Nepali, Infobox, Language familyTop family: Indo-European; immediate branch: Indo-Aryan languages (Northern Zone, Eastern Pahari group).View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.