basilect Definition
a nonstandard or dialectal variety of a language that is considered less prestigious than the standard or official variety.
Using basilect: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "basilect" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The basilect spoken in the rural areas is different from the acrolect spoken in the cities.
Example
The creole language is a basilect of French and African languages.
Example
The teacher corrected the student's use of basilect and encouraged them to use the standard variety.
basilect Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for basilect
Phrases with basilect
acrolect and basilect
a sociolinguistic concept that describes the high and low ends of a continuum of language varieties, with the acrolect being the most prestigious and the basilect being the least prestigious
Example
In many countries, there is a clear distinction between the acrolect and basilect varieties of the national language.
basilectal features
linguistic features that are characteristic of a basilect variety of a language
Example
The researcher identified several basilectal features in the speech of the rural community.
basilectization
the process by which a language variety becomes more basilectal over time
Example
The basilectization of the language was a result of social and economic changes in the region.
Summary: basilect in Brief
'Basilect' [ˈbeɪsɪlɛkt] refers to a nonstandard or dialectal variety of a language that is considered less prestigious than the standard or official variety. It is often used in contrast to 'acrolect,' the most prestigious variety. Examples include the creole language and rural dialects. The concept of acrolect and basilect is used to describe a continuum of language varieties.
