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Which three Indo-European language branches are dominant in much of Europe?
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Indo-European languages
Approximate locations of Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia.
Within the Indo-European language family, three major branches are dominant across much of Europe: Romance, Germanic, and Slavic.12
- Romance languages: Derived from the Latin language of the Roman Empire, these languages primarily dominate western and Mediterranean Europe.1
- Germanic languages: Originating from a common tribal language in southern Scandinavia, these are spoken extensively throughout central, northern, and northwestern Europe.1
- Slavic languages: These are characteristic of eastern and southeastern Europe, as well as Russia.1
While other Indo-European branches such as Greek, Celtic, Baltic, and Albanian are also present on the continent, they are considered minor groups in terms of their current geographic dominance compared to the three major divisions.3