The Romance languages are a branch of the larger Indo-European language family that evolved from Vulgar Latin, the spoken form of Latin used by the common people during the Roman Empire. Here’s a comprehensive list of the major Romance languages:
- Spanish (Castilian): Widely spoken in Spain and Latin America, Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world.
- Portuguese: The official language of Portugal and Brazil, it also has speakers in several African countries and regions of Asia, such as Mozambique and East Timor.
- French: Spoken in France and many parts of the world, including Canada (especially Quebec), Belgium, Switzerland, and numerous African countries.
- Italian: The official language of Italy, it has various regional dialects and is also spoken in parts of Switzerland.
- Romanian: Spoken primarily in Romania and Moldova, Romanian has distinctive features due to its geographic isolation from other Romance languages.
- Catalan: The official language of Catalonia, Valencia (where it’s called Valencian), and the Balearic Islands in Spain, as well as spoken in parts of France and Andorra.
- Occitan: Spoken in certain regions of southern France, Occitan has several dialects and has faced declining usage.
- Galician: Spoken in Galicia, a region in northwest Spain, Galician shares similarities with both Portuguese and Spanish.
- Sardinian: A minority language spoken on the island of Sardinia, it is recognized for its distinct regional varieties.
- Ladino (Judeo-Spanish): A language derived from Old Spanish, it is used by descendants of Sephardic Jews.
- Corsican: Mainly spoken on the island of Corsica, it has similarities to both Italian and French.
- Friulian: A language spoken in the Friuli region of northeastern Italy, it is recognized as a minority language.
- Romansh: A Romance language spoken in the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland, it has several dialects.
There are also various regional dialects and variations of these languages, as well as some lesser-known Romance languages, such as Asturleonese and Aragonese, which are spoken in parts of Spain.
The Romance languages continue to evolve, and their speakers often maintain cultural ties that influence their language development.