In linguistics, a basilect is a register of a creole language that is considerably different from an acrolect, or standard, "educated", variety. A basilect and acrolect of the same language may eventually reach mutual unintelligibility.
William Stewart, in 1965, proposed that the terms acrolect and basilect be the sociolinguistic labels for the boundaries of a post-creole speech continuum. In certain speech communities, a continuum exists between speakers of a creole language and a related standard language.

See also

Mesolect
Acrolect