Major Languages of Western Europe

Linguistic Map of Western Europe

Western Europe hosts a dense cluster of national and regional languages, mostly Indo-European.

Germanic Languages

• English: UK, Ireland, Malta; global lingua franca
• German: Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, parts of Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy (South Tyrol)
• Dutch: Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), Suriname
• Frisian: Netherlands (Friesland), Germany (North Frisia) – closest relative to English

Romance Languages

• French: France, Monaco, Belgium (Wallonia), Switzerland (Romandy), Luxembourg, Channel Islands
• Spanish: Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar; global reach
• Italian: Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, Switzerland (Ticino)
• Portuguese: Portugal, Azores, Madeira
• Catalan/Valencian: Catalonia, Valencia, Balearics, Andorra (official)
• Occitan: Southern France, Val d'Aran (Spain), Italian valleys

Celtic Languages

• Welsh: Wales (official)
• Breton: Brittany, France
• Irish (Gaelic): Ireland (official), Gaeltacht areas
• Scottish Gaelic: Scotland (Highlands/Islands)
• Cornish, Manx: Revived, small speakers

North Germanic (Scandinavian)

• Danish: Denmark, Faroe Islands, Greenland
• Norwegian: Norway (Bokmål & Nynorsk)
• Swedish: Sweden, Finland (coastal)
• Icelandic, Faroese: Insular, conservative

Others

• Basque (Euskara): Language isolate; NE Spain, SW France
• Maltese: Semitic, written in Latin script; Malta

Multilingualism is the norm: EU has 24 official languages; most Europeans speak 2+ languages.