ela geminada

Catalan

Alternative forms

• ele geminada (Valencia)

Noun

ela geminada f (plural eles geminades)

1. the Latin script combination ⟨l·l⟩ (uppercase ⟨L·L⟩)

   Coordinate terms: ela doble, ela palatal

Usage notes

• The ela palatal is used in Catalan to represent the palatal lateral /ʎ/ with a digraph ll, so to indicate where a doubled alveolar lateral is intended /l.l/, a punt volat ( · , “interpunct”) is placed between the two ells to form an ela geminada (literally “geminated ell”).
• Examples of words with ela geminada include excel·lent, paral·lel, and il·legal.
• Some Catalan speakers do not distinguish the pronunciation of a simple l and the ela geminada, both being pronounced /l/.
• It never occurs at the beginning of a word. The form *“L·l” does not exist.