The
Illyrian languages are a group of
Indo-European languages that were spoken in the western part of the
Balkans in former times by groups identified as
Illyrians:
Ardiaei,
Delmatae,
Pannonii,
Autariates,
Taulanti (see
List of ancient tribes in Illyria). Some sound-changes from
Proto-Indo-European to Illyrian and other language features are deduced from what remains of the Illyrian languages, but because there are no examples of ancient Illyrian
literature surviving (aside from the
Messapian writings if they can be considered Illyrian), it is difficult to clarify its place within the
Indo-European language family. Because of the uncertainty, most sources provisionally place the Illyrian language family on its own branch of Indo-European, though its relation to other languages, ancient and modern, continues to be studied.