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Europe

Written by: William H. Berentsen Last Updated

Languages

Romance, Germanic, and Slavic languages

Within the complex of European languages, three major divisions stand out: Romance, Germanic, and Slavic. All three are derived from a parent Indo-European language of the early migrants to Europe from southwestern Asia.

The Romance languages dominate western and Mediterranean Europe and include French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian, plus such lesser-known languages as Occitan (Provençal) in southern France, Catalan in northeastern Spain and Andorra, and Romansh in southern Switzerland. All are derived from the Latin language of the Roman Empire.

The Germanic languages are found in central, northern, and northwestern Europe. They are ... (100 of 22,682 words)

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