L-complex

noun

Synonym of dialect continuum.

Meanings

nounL-complex (plural L-complexes)

plural L-complexes

  1. human sciencesSynonym of dialect continuum.

    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.

    1981, Curtis McFarland, A linguistic atlas of the Philippines, page 9
    1 more example

    !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.

    2013, Rainer Vossen, The Khoesan Languages, page 9

    Synonyms: dialect continuum

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of dialect continuum.

Cite this entry
APA

L-complex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/L-complex

MLA

“L-complex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/L-complex. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “L-complex,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/L-complex.

Source: L-complex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.