In a lecture titled “Oy ♥ Noo Yawk (But Maybe Not Da Tawk a’ Da
Town)!” Linguistics Professor Michael Silverstein tackled the
distinctive New York accent and its socioeconomic and cultural
ramifications. Comparing and contrasting two New York Times
articles on the subject, Silverstein also examined the research
of various linguistic theorists. “[The accent] is characterized
by its lack of noticeable ‘r’ pronunciation,” he said. Linguists
use words such as “guard,” “car,” “beer,” and “beard” to test
the r-index of speakers. New Yorkers with a strong accent
generally have an r-index of zero, he said. Silverstein said
that “r-less New Yorké” is found mostly at the bottom of the
socioeconomic ladder, contributing to a more stratified
population. Middle-class New Yorkers have often tried to rid
themselves of the accent, overemphasizing the “r”s in words and
seeking speech therapy, according to Silverstein. Those New
Yorkers, he said, often find that in order to ascend the
Manhattan social ladder, speaking “normali