Indo-European leids

The Indo-European leids maks up a faimily o several hunder sib leids an dialects,^[1] includin maist o the major leids o Europe, the northren Indie subcontinent (Sooth Asie), the Iranian plateau (Soothwast Asie), an a muckle pairt o Central Asie. Indo-European (Indo refers tae the Indie subcontinent) haes the lairgest nummers o speakers o the recognised faimilies o leids in the warld the day, wi its leids spoken bi aboot three billion native speakers.^[2]

O the tap 20 contemporar leids in terms o hamespun speakers gaun by SIL Ethnologue, 12 is Indo-European: Spaingie, Inglish, Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Roushie, German, Marathi, French, Italian, Punjabi an Urdu, accoontin for ower 1.6 billion hamespun speakers. The Indo-Iranian leid forms the lairgest sub-brainch o Indo-European in terms o the nummer o hamespun speakers as weel as in terms o the nummer o indiveedual leids.^[3] (see List o leids by nummer o hamespun speakers). Historically, in terms o geographical spreid an aw (stretchin frae the Caucasus tae Sooth Asie; c.f. Scythie).

1. ↑ 449 gaun by the 2005 SIL estimate, aboot hauf (219) belangs the Indo-Aryan sub-brainch.
2. ↑ the Sino-Tibetan faimily o tongues haes the seicont-lairgest nummer o speakers.
3. ↑ 308 leids gaun by SIL; mair nor ae billion speakers