The various regional and minority languages in Europe encompass four categories: The language of a community in one single country, where the language community is not the linguistic majority, e.g. Sorbian in Germany, or Welsh in the United Kingdom The language of a community in two or more countries, in neither of which they are the linguistic majority, e.g. Basque in Spain and France, Sámi in Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden, or Lombard in Italy and Switzerland The language of a community who are a linguistic minority in one country, even though they are the majority in a different country, e.g. Danish in Germany, Finnish in Sweden, or Swedish in Finland Languages without any fixed territory, that are traditionally spoken in one or more countries, but which cannot be assorted to one specific region, e.g. the languages of Sinti and Roma, the Yiddish language, the Yenish language as well as Plautdietsch
Dialects and languages of immigrants are not included in the official definition of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
The European Union regards Luxembourgish as a minority language, too, as it is not an official language of the EU. Through June 13, 2005, the Irish language also had this status.
In recent years, some countries of the EU have begun assorting the status as a minority language to various sign languages.
Countries with linguistic minorities Albania Aromanian Greek Macedonian Romani Serbian Turkish
Andorra French Spanish
Austria Burgenland Croatian in Burgenland Yenish Romani Slovak in Vienna Slovene in Carinthia and Styria Czech in Vienna Hungarian in Burgenland and Vienna
Belarus Latvian Lithuanian Polish Romani Rusyn Slovak Tatar Ukrainian
Belgium French Flemish Dutch Walloon German Limburgish Luxembourgish Lorrain Picard Champenois Romani
Bosnia and Herzegovina Albanian Bulgarian Czech German Hungarian Italian Ladino Polish Romani Romanian Rusyn Slovak Slovene Turkish Ukrainian Yiddish
Bulgaria Armenian Aromanian Croatian Czech German Hungarian Macedonian Polish Romani Romanian Russian Rusyn Serbian Slovak Tatar Turkish Ukrainian Yiddish
Croatia Albanian Bosnian Bulgarian Czech German Hebrew Hungarian Italian Istriot Istro-Romanian Macedonian Montenegrin Polish Romani Romanian Russian Pannonian Rusyn, also known as Ruthenian Serbian Slovak Slovene Turkish Ukrainian Vlach
Cyprus Armenian Turkish Cypriot Arabic
Czech Republic German Polish in the region near the border Romani Slovak
Denmark German (in Northern Schleswig) Romani Danish Sign language Faroese Inuit
Estonia Russian Ukrainian Võro (South Estonian)
Finland Swedish (Finland Swedish), finlandssvenska Inari Sami, anarâškielâ Northern Sami, davvisámegiella Skolt Sami, sää´mkiõll Karelian (Livvi-Karelian language, livvinkarjala, and Karelian Karelian Proper - vienankarjala, suvikarjala and tverinkariela) Finnish Romani, kaalengo tšimb/romano tšimb Finland-Swedish Sign Language Finnish Sign Language Mishar Tatar (language of the Finnish Tatars)
France Franco-Provençal Picard Norman Gallo Lorrain Poitevin-Saintongeaix Burgundian Champenois Franc-comptois Basque Breton German (Alsatian dialect and Lorraine Franconian) Italian Yenish Catalan Corsican Dutch Occitan Romani Antillean creole Arawak Guyana creole Hmong Kali'na Nenge Palikur Saamaka Sranan tongo Teko Wayampi Wayana Shimaore Kibushe
Germany Danish in Schleswig-Holstein Yenish Low German (possibly incl. Plautdietsch) Low Franconian in North Rhine-Westphalia, incl. Limburgish and Kleverlandish Central Franconian in North Rhine-Westphalia, incl. Ripuarian Upper German in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, incl. Bavarian and Swabian North Frisian in Schleswig-Holstein Romani Saterland Frisian in Lower Saxony Sorbian in Lusatia, specifically: Upper Sorbian language in Upper Lusatia, in Saxony Lower Sorbian in Lower Lusatia, in Brandenburg
Greece Arvanitika Aromanian Bulgarian Macedonian Megleno-Romanian Romani Tsakonika Judaeo-Spanish Turkish
Hungary Armenian Bulgarian Czech German Greek Croatian Polish Romani Romanian Rusyn Serbian Slovak Slovene Turkish Ukrainian
Ireland Shelta Irish
Italy Albanian German (regional official language in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) various Highest Alemannic German and southern Bavarian dialects (e.g. the Cimbrian language) Walser German (Aosta Valley and Piedmont) Franco-Provençal French (regionally an official language in Aosta Valley) Friulian Gallo-Italic languages Piedmontese Ligurian Lombard Western Lombard Eastern Lombard Emilian-Romagnol Emilian dialect Romagnol dialect Greek (also Griko in Calabria and Apulia) Catalan (in Alghero) Croatian Molise Slavonic Ladin (regionally an official language in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol; also insular occurrence in Province of Belluno) Neapolitan Occitan Sardinian (regionally an official language in Sardinia) Sicilian Slovene (regionally an official language in Triest and Gorizia) Venetian Romani
Kazakhstan (European part) Russian
Kosovo Bosnian Gora Romani Turkish Serbian (second official language)
Latvia Estonian Modern Hebrew Lithuanian Polish Romani Russian Ukrainian Belarusian
Lithuania Karaim Latvian Polish Romani Russian Tatar Ukrainian Belarusian
Moldova Bulgarian Gagauz Russian Ukrainian
Montenegro Albanian Bosnian Croatian Serbian Romani
Netherlands Limburgish, related to Aachen Dialect in the German-speaking region of eastern Belgium and in Vaals / Kerkrade. Low Saxon Romani West Frisian Hindeloopen-Frisian Schiermonnikoog Frisian Westlauwers–Terschellings, including Terschelling Frisian and the most widespread Mainland West Frisian
North Macedonia Albanian Aromanian Bosnian Megleno-Romanian Romani Serbian Turkish
Norway Kven Lule Sami Northern Sami Southern Sámi
Poland German, as an auxiliary language in a number of municipalities, mainly in Upper Silesia Kashubian, also known as Cassubian, in Kashubia, Pomeranian Voivodeship; the language is taught up to A-level Yiddish language Lithuanian in the region bordering Lithuania Romani Slovak in the region bordering Slovakia Tatar in the region bordering Belarus Czech in the region bordering the Czech Republic Ukrainian in the border area to Ukraine, as well as spoken by many immigrants Belarusian in the border area to Belarus
Portugal Mirandese, around Miranda do Douro Lusitanic, by portuguese Sephardi Jews. Caló, by portuguese Romani
Romania Aromanian Bulgarian German Yiddish Croatian Polish Romani Rusyn Russian Serbian Slovak Tatarça Czech Turkish Ukrainian Hungarian
Russia (European part) Armenian Bashkir German Finnish Ingrian, also called Izhorian Kalmyk Karelian Ludic Livvi-Karelian, also called Southern Olonetsian Komi Komi-Permyak Komi-Zyryan Mari Hill-Mari Meadow-Mari Northwestern Mari Mordvinic Erzya Moksha Nenets Forest Nenets Tundra Nenets Romani Sami Kildin Sami Skolt Sami Ter Sami Tatar Chuvash Udmurt Ukrainian Belarusian Veps Votic
Serbia Albanian Aromanian Bosnian Bulgarian Croatian Czech German Greek Hungarian Macedonian Romani Romanian Rusyn Slovak Turkish
Slovakia German Romani Rusyn Czech Ukrainian Hungarian
Slovenia Bosnian German Italian Croatian Romani Serbian Macedonian Albanian Czech Slovak Hungarian Romanian Bulgarian Turkish Polish
Spain Aragonese Aranese (= Occitan in France) Asturian Basque in Basque Country and Navarre Caló Galician in Galicia Catalan in Catalonia Valencian language Balearic CatalanEuropäischer Bericht zu Regional- und Minderheitensprachen (PDF; 1,4 MB) Abschnitt 1.3.28 S. 7; Abschnitt 2.2.5 S. 107 Leonese in Castile and León Quinqui, language of the Mercheros, a semi-nomadic group who live mainly in the northern half of Spain Romani
Sweden Elfdalian Danish Finnish Gutnish Jämtska, also called Jämtmål Yiddish Meänkieli, also called Torne Valley Finnish Romani Sámi languages, formerly also called Lappish (falling out of use; pejorative)
Switzerland «Als von der Charta erfasste und geschützte Minderheitensprachen in der Schweiz gelten das Deutsch in Bosco-Gurin (Walserisch), Deutsch in Ederswiler (Jura), Italienisch in Graubünden, Italienisch im Tessin, Romanisch, Jenisch und Jiddisch.» https://www.parlament.ch/de/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20164000
German (minority language in Bosco/Gurin and Ederswiler) French (official language) Italian (official language) Sign languages: Swiss-German Sign language Swiss-French Sign language, recognized in Canton of Geneva Swiss-Italian Sign language Lombard language, varieties in Grisons and Ticino Franco-Provençal Yenish, recognized as territorially unbound language Yiddish language, recognized minority language Rhaeto-Romance; Romansch official language in Grisons Romani, language of the Sinti; Sinti recognized as national minority
Turkey Adyghe, also known as West Circassian Arab Aramaic Armenian Bosnian Georgian Greek Kurmanji Laz Romani Zaza Azerbaijani Gagauz Crimean Tatar Tatar Turkmen Uygur Uzbek
Ukraine Bulgarian German Gagauz Yiddish Crimean Tatar Polish Romani Romanian Russian Rusyn Tatar Turkish Hungarian Belarusian
United Kingdom Irish, as a regional official language in Northern Ireland Cornish, regional official language in Cornwall Scottish Gaelic, regional official language in Scotland Scots Shelta Ulster Scots Welsh, a national official language in Wales British Sign Language, regional official language in Scotland, recognised minority language in England and Wales
British Crown Dependencies Manx, regional official language of the Isle of Man Jèrriais, a Norman dialect spoken in Jersey and Sark, also known as Jersey Norman French Guernésiais, a dialect of Norman French spoken in Guernsey Sercquiais, a Norman dialect spoken in Sark
See also European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages Eurolinguistics
References
External links
Sicherung von Regional- und Minderheitensprachen Languages of Europe (map and table of the languages spoken in Europe, by Urion Argador)