diff --git a/src/paragraph.C b/src/paragraph.C
index 94ecc368d7..59397449e2 100644
--- a/src/paragraph.C
+++ b/src/paragraph.C
@@ -907,6 +907,12 @@ bool Paragraph::simpleTeXOnePar(Buffer const & buf,
 		style = layout();
 	}
 
+	// Current base font for all inherited font changes, without any
+	// change caused by an individual character, except for the language:
+	// It is set to the language of the first character.
+	// As long as we are in the label, this font is the base font of the
+	// label. Before the first bpdy character it is set to the base font
+	// of the body.
 	LyXFont basefont;
 
 	LaTeXFeatures features(buf, bparams, runparams);
diff --git a/src/paragraph_funcs.h b/src/paragraph_funcs.h
index 69ddff6b36..6fab4d7a49 100644
--- a/src/paragraph_funcs.h
+++ b/src/paragraph_funcs.h
@@ -67,6 +67,10 @@ bool isFirstInSequence(pit_type par, ParagraphList const & plist);
     proof environment */
 int getEndLabel(pit_type par, ParagraphList const & plist);
 
+/**
+ * Get the font of the "environment" of paragraph \p par_offset in \p pars.
+ * All font changes of the paragraph are relative to this font.
+ */
 LyXFont const outerFont(pit_type par_offset, ParagraphList const & pars);
 
 /// return the number of InsetOptArg in a paragraph