mesolect (n.)

A term used by some SOCIOLINGUISTS, in the study of the development of CREOLE languages, to refer to the intermediate linguistic VARIETY (or LECT) falling between ACROLECT and BASILECT. Because of the range of variation covered by this notion, a further distinction is often drawn between the ‘upper’ mesolect (i.e. that closest to the acrolect), the ‘lower’ mesolect (i.e. that closest to the basilect) and the ‘mid’ mesolect (equidistant from the two); but the extent to which mesolectal distinctions can be drawn in a non-arbitrary way is disputed.