The Social Stratification of (r) in New York City Department Stores PDF

# The Social Stratification of (r) in New York City Department Stores ## Introduction The study of language in its social context presents the classic methodological dilemma: collecting data involves influencing it. The study of (r) in New York City department stores attempts to overcome this dile...

# The Social Stratification of (r) in New York City Department Stores ## Introduction The study of language in its social context presents the classic methodological dilemma: collecting data involves influencing it. The study of (r) in New York City department stores attempts to overcome this dilemma by employing a systematic method of brief, anonymous observations. This method allows for minimal intrusion into the subject's behavior and allows researchers to study how people use language in their natural context. ## Methodology The study focuses on the pronunciation of (r) in the phrase "fourth floor" by employees of three department stores in Manhattan: Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, and S. Klein. These stores are ranked according to their price and fashion levels, and it is expected that their clientele will be socially stratified accordingly. The study was facilitated by approaching each store's employees as a customer asking for a certain department, pretending not to hear the initial response, and then writing down the pronunciation of (r) in the immediate repetition. This process was repeated in different departments throughout the store, with careful notation of important variables for each respondent: * Store * Floor of the store * Sex * Age * Position * Race * Accent The dependent variable was the pronunciation of (r) in four specific locations: * Casual: "fourth floor" * Emphatic: "fourth floor" * Preconsonantal * Final This method yielded 68 interviews with Saks employees, 125 with Macy's, and 71 with Klein's. ## Results The results show that (r) is stratified across the three department stores: * Saks employees use **more** (r). * Macy's employees use **less** (r) than Saks but **more** than Klein's. * Klein's employees use **the least** (r). The same stratification is observed in different positions of (r) within the words, with a significant difference between Macy's and Klein's. This tendency is further strengthened when examining the distribution of black employees by department: * There are significantly more black employees at Klein's than at Macy's, and more at Macy's than at Saks. * Black employees at Macy's use less (r) than white employees, but this difference is slight. * Black employees at Klein's show a much higher tendency to suppress (r). The study also explores the influence of job role in (r) use among Saks, Macy's, and Klein's employees. The study shows that Macy's, with its less stratified job roles, presents a more pronounced stratification of (r) than the store as a whole. This suggests that professional status, rather than the department store itself, is a significant factor in the differentiation of (r) use. ## Conclusion The study demonstrates the potential of brief, anonymous observations for revealing the social stratification of linguistic features. It suggests that (r) is stratified along a hierarchy of department store prestige, with Saks employees using (r) more frequently than those at Macy's, and Macy's employees using (r) more frequently than those at Klein's. This pattern is consistent regardless of the specific location of (r) within the word or the racial background of the employee. The study also reveals the important role of job status in shaping the use of linguistic features: Macy's, with its less stratified job roles, shows a more pronounced stratification associated with professional distinction. Overall, the study highlights the value of brief, anonymous observations as a valuable method for studying sociolinguistic phenomena. ## Limitations The study does have some limitations: * The sample size is relatively small. * The data relied on memory and not recordings, potentially introducing some errors. * The method of eliciting emphatic speech was not standardized. Despite these limitations, the study provides valuable insights into the social stratification of language in New York City. The results are consistent with other similar studies, confirming the validity of this approach and opening new avenues for future research.