L-complex

"L-complex" in a Sentence (2 examples)

If on the other hand there are speech varieties in the group which are not mutually intelligible with some other members ― like A and C in the example above ― then the group is defined as an L-complex.

!Xun can be described as an L-complex, that is, as a cluster of speech forms that are linked by a chain of mutual intelligibility, but speakers at the extreme ends of the chain do not understand one another.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.