The Social Stratification of (r) in

New York City Department Stores

By William Labov
How to gather data?
One classical methodological problem one encounters in the study of
language in its social context:
The means used to gather the data interfere with the data to be
gathered.
Individual tape-recorded interview: monitored & controlled in response
to the presence of an outside observer
One solution: study subject in his own natural social context
interacting with his family or peer group (Labov et al, 1968).
Another solution: observe the public use of language in everyday life
apart from any interview situation
This study: systematic use of rapid & anonymous observations in a
study of the sociolinguistic structure of the speech community
Preliminary Studies
An extensive series of preliminary investigations was carried out:
70 individual interviews and many anonymous observations in public places
These led to the definition of (r), as a phonological variable, in postvocalic
position in car, card, four, fourth, etc.
This variable appeared to be sensitive to any measure of social or stylistic
stratification.
On the basis of the exploratory interviews: it seemed possible to carry out
an empirical test of two general notions:
1-(r) is a social differentiator in all levels of NYC speech
2-the rapid & anonymous speech events could be used as the basis of a
systematic study of language.
Definition of Social Stratification
Bernard Barber (1957): social stratification is the
product of social differentiation & social evaluation
This implies that
-the normal workings of society have produced
systematic differences between certain institutions or
people
-these differentiated forms have been ranked in status or
prestige by general agreement
General Hypothesis & How to Test It
If any two subgroups of NYC speakers are ranked in a
scale of social stratification, then they will be ranked in
the same order by their differential use of (r).
Test1: comparing occupational groups, one of the most
important indexes of social stratification
Test2: finding a subtle case of stratification within a
single occupational group:
the sales people of 3 large department stores in
Manhattan, from the top, middle, & bottom of the price &
fashion scale
The Differential Ranking of the
Three Stores
Their locations are important:
Saks Fifth Avenue (high fashion shopping district)
Macy's (near garment district along with middle range
stores)
S. Klein
Their advertising & price policies are clearly
stratified.
The physical plant of the stores also serve to
differentiate them.
The principle stratifying effect upon the employees is
The Method
The interviewer approached the informant in the role of a customer
asking for directions to a department, located on the fourth floor
Interviewer: 'Excuse me, where are the women's shoes?
Informant: 'Fourth floor.
Interviewer: 'Excuse me?
Informant: 'Fourth floor spoken in careful style under emphatic stress
Independent variables: the store floor within the store sex age
occupation race foreign or regional accent
Dependent variable: the use of (r) in four occurrences:
Causal: fourth floor (preconsonantal + final position)
Emphatic: fourth floor
The Method
(r-1) for each plainly constricted value of the variable
(r-0) for unconstricted schwa, lengthened vowel, or no
representation
d for doubtful cases or partial constriction
Overall Stratification of (r)
Results showed clear & consistent stratification of
(r) in the 3 stores
All informants were divided into 3 categories:
all (r-1): those whose records show only (r-1) & no (r-0)
some (r-1): those whose records show at least one (r-1)
& one (r-0)
no (r-1): those whose records showed only (r-0)
Overall Stratification of (r)

There is a considerable difference between Macy's & Klein

at each position, but the difference between Macy's and
Saks varies.
In emphatic pronunciation of the final (r), Macy's employees
come very close to the mark set by Saks.
Saks employees have more security in a linguistic sense.
Overall Stratification of (r)

The table shows the number of instances obtained for

each of the four positions of (r) for each store.
The number of occurrences in the 2nd pronunciation of
four is considerably reduced, because of some
speakers tendency to answer a 2nd time, 'Fourth.
Overall Stratification of (r)

The pattern of differential ranking in the use of (r) is

preserved in this subgroup of complete responses
Omission of the final 'floor by some respondents was
not a factor in this pattern.
Thank you