Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which ancient Italic languages belonged to the Indo-European language family?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

ancient Ancient Italic people Etruscan roof tile (antefix) with the head of a satyr, terra-cotta, 4th century bce; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

The ancient Italic languages are considered a branch of the Indo-European language family. Scholars generally categorize the languages spoken in the Apennine Peninsula and parts of the Po valley that belong to this group as follows:12

Latin-Faliscan: This group includes Latin and Faliscan.34
Osco-Umbrian: This group includes Oscan, Umbrian, and South Picene.14
Venetic: Often included as an Italic language, though some scholars treat it as an independent member of the Indo-European family.1

While traditionally grouped together as a single subfamily, some modern linguists suggest these languages may represent distinct, independent branches of the Indo-European family that developed shared features through convergence while integrated into the early "Italic" civilization.1