basilect

English

Etymology

basi- (“base, bottom”) +‎ -lect (“speech”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbæsɪlɛkt/, /ˈbeɪsɪlɛkt/

Noun

basilect (plural basilects)

1. (sociolinguistics) A variety of a language that has diverged greatly from the standard form, and is only considered suitable for very informal contexts by speakers.

   Coordinate terms: acrolect, mesolect

   • 1977, Joseph Twadell Shipley, In praise of English: the growth & use of language, page 78:

     The highest level of good English has been called the acrolect; the lowest level of poor speech, the basilect; both are contrasted with the matrilect, the general native language.

   • 1987, Douglas N. Young, Language--planning and medium in education:

     In both regions English is used extensively, the spoken form ranging from, in the language of linguisticians, the basilect to the mesolect and the matrilect or acrolect (prestige English) .

   • 1996, James E. Alatis, Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics, →ISBN:

     If only the basilect is a true creole, then the mesolect is relegated to limbo -- not a creole, certainly not a standard.

Derived terms

• basilectal

Translations

variety of a language that has diverged greatly from the standard form

• Dutch: basilect n
• Finnish: basilekti
• French: basilecte (fr)
• German: Basilekt (de) m
• Jamaican Creole: bazilek
• Portuguese: basileto m
• Spanish: basilecto m

See also

• code-switching
• matrilect

Further reading

• post-creole continuum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• batsicle

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowing from English basilect.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbaː.ziˈlɛkt/
• Hyphenation: basi‧lect
• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Noun

basilect n (plural basilecten, diminutive basilectje n)

1. the basilect; the low-prestige register of a language, divergent from the standard language, mainly used in informal settings

   Antonym: acrolect