hyperlect

English

Etymology

From hyper- +‎ -lect.

Noun

hyperlect (plural hyperlects)

1. The variety of a language that is spoken by the aristocracy.

   Hypernyms: lect, variety

   Coordinate terms: acrolect; mesolect, basilect

   • 2001, Maureen Duffy, England: The Making of the Myth, page 168:

     Quite distinct from received pronunciation or BBC English, hyperlect now sounds, in our more egalitarian sonic society, affected and outdated, and has largely been abandoned by the younger generation in favour of a more neutral version, either based on radio and television speak, the over-voice of documentaries, what used to be called 'speaking nicely', or a version of so-called Estuary English.

   • 2003, Speaking English: Journal of the ESB (International).:

     While remaining a speaker of a unique hyperlect, the Queen now employs a diction which is (comparatively) demotic when judged against earlier recordings.

   • 2012, Ulrich Ammon, Status and Function of Languages and Language Varieties, →ISBN, page 585:

     The function of the hyperlect, whether in the 16th and 17th centuries or in modern times, was to maintain social distance between the aristocracy and the rising middle classes, whose escalating opportunities for social mobility in the 19th century made the elaboration of ever more subtle linguistic distinctions ever more important.

Usage notes

A hyperlect distinguishes the upper classes, as distinct from educated speakers.