Introductory note
Preface to the first edition
Preface to the second edition: forty years later
I PROBLEMS AND METHODS OF ANALYSIS
1 The study of language in its social context
2 First approach to the structure of New York City English
3 The social stratification of (r) in New York City department stores
4 The isolation of contextual styles
5 The linguistic interview
6 The survey of the Lower East Side
II SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION
7 Class differentiation of the variables
8 Further analysis of the variables
9 Distribution of the variables in apparent time
10 Other linguistic variables
III SOCIAL EVALUATION
11 Subjective evaluation of the variables
12 Self-evaluation and linguistic security
13 General attitudes towards the speech of New York City
IV SYNTHESIS
14 The structure of the New York City vowel system
15 1966–2006
Glossary of linguistic symbols and terminology
Appendix A Questionnaire for the ALS survey
Appendix B Anonymous observations of casual speech
Appendix C Analysis of losses through moving of the MFY sample population
Appendix D Analysis of the non-respondents: the television interview
Appendix E The out-of-town speakers
Bibliography
Index