The largest language family in the world comprises about 300 languages, including our mother tongue. This book provides an introduction to the prehistory, history, and present of the Indo-European languages and is accessible even without a linguistic degree. Structure: After a brief introduction to comparative linguistics and an overview of the Indo-European languages as a whole, as well as the essential features of the reconstructed proto-language, eleven comprehensive individual chapters follow, each dedicated to the different branches of Indo-European. Special attention is given to the unique structural and historical conditions of each language branch through individual focal points. All chapters include an overview of the sociolinguistic situation of the individual languages, specific information on the number of speakers, and their geographical distribution.