Macrolanguage

A macrolanguage is a collection of related language varieties that are considered part of a single language but include distinct dialects or regional forms. These varieties are closely connected enough to be grouped together, yet they may have unique features that make communication between them somewhat challenging. For example, Chinese is a macrolanguage because it includes several dialects like Mandarin and Cantonese, which are different enough to be seen as separate languages but are still classified under the broader Chinese language. This classification helps linguists organize and study related language forms more effectively.