1. The most nonstandard or lowest-prestige variety of a language within a speech community, typically associated with the least educated speakers or the lowest social class.
Usage: linguistics; technical term; contrasts with acrolect (highest-prestige variety) and mesolect (intermediate variety)

Examples

• Linguists study the basilect to understand how language varies across social classes.
• The basilect of the region differs significantly from the formal written standard.
• In creole studies, the basilect represents the most divergent form from the lexifier language.
• The speaker's use of the basilect reflected their working-class background.
• Sociolinguists distinguish between the basilect, mesolect, and acrolect in their research.