Midtown East
The linguistic landscape I have chosen for this project is Midtown East, New York City. Midtown East is an urban area known for its mix of corporate offices and residential buildings. The signs put up in this neighborhood show the hectic and fast paced nature of the city. Some of the signs I photographed for my linguistic landscape project to represent Midtown East in NYC include a Starbucks sign, Dunkin’ Donuts sign, a food truck sign and a Schnippers sign. These signs incorporate a mix of new school and old school vernacular. My selection of this linguistic landscape stemmed from my familiarity with the area because I have been living here for about six months. These signs have a great significance to my daily life and have become home to me. The prominent themes featured within these boundaries in Midtown East are eateries, diversity, old school vernacular, new school vernacular and the use of the English language.
New/Old School Vernacular Definitions
New school vernacular signs are usually more straightforward and simplistic, making them easy to read. For example, these types of signs will use more social media and internet culture based language and visuals which would most likely be more appealing to the new generation. They use pathos when advertising on their signs by implementing slang and abbreviations to emotionally appeal to their customers. On the other hand, old school vernacular signs are usually located outside of delis and food trucks which tend to be more descriptive, displaying a variety of menu items. It refers to traditional religious or culturally specific language used to advertise in their signs. These signs tend to give a more old fashioned vibe which can appeal to an older generation as it was most commonly used in the nineteen hundreds. There is a clear distinction between the two vernaculars we’ll be identifying in Midtown East, both of which appeal to the large number of people in this linguistic landscape.
Diversity Defined Within Midtown East Signage
Moving forwards, diversity as it is identified in Midtown East refers to the dietary inclusivity that support many peoples dietary intake. Ultimately, the word “diverse” means “different,” but in the context of this linguistic landscape it means that it encompasses a variety of eateries that support many demographics diets. For example, as seen in Figure 1, Dos Toros is a taqueria which comes from ethnic descent which clearly serves Mexican food. This eatery gives diverse options which cater traditional food from another part of the world. In an article called Exploring Cultural Diversity in Nutrition, the author cites the CDC as he states, “The term ‘culturally preferred foods’ is used here to describe safe and nutritious foods that meet the diverse tastes and needs of customers based on their cultural identity.” Now, the author gives us a better understanding of what to expect when addressing diversity in the Midtown East, and how we can expect a maybe rare selection of food within the landscape just by the restaurants signage.
Fig 1.
Landscape Boundaries
As seen in Figure 2, Midtown East is located within the boundaries of 42nd St and 59th St being its northern and southern ends, and from the East River being its eastern end through First, Second, Third, Lexington, Park, and Madison, with Fifth Avenue as its western boundary.
Background
In an article posted by Compass, we can see a map of midtown east which stretches from 42nd to 59th street and 5th ave to the FDR Parkway. Within these boundaries lay Midtown east, a region of New York city which is a “convenient neighborhood in the center of Manhattan that provides A-list cultural attractions and easy access to anywhere in the city,” as per Compass. This area is convenient for all demographics as families and professionals have easy access to commute via subway as there are many entrance locations throughout the region. We can notice this in the signage used throughout the linguistic landscape as we see how the new and old school vernacular styles used cater to a widely diverse population that either reside or consistently visit Midtown East. In an excerpt from Compass, we can learn how the theme of eateries is persisting in the linguistic landscape as they say, “steps from Manhattan’s most iconic sites, Midtown East is home to a world-class cultural scene, plus an endless array of options for shopping, eating, and drinking.”
Eateries
As mentioned, one of the most prominent themes in Midtown East’s linguistic landscape is the amount of eateries it possesses. This reflects the Midtown East’s fast paced environment mixed with the corporate world. The diversity of restaurants, coffee shops, and food courts fits the area’s theme of having many eateries because it gives both convenience and variety to the multitude of people who work and reside in this part of the city. The signage of these restaurants plays a crucial role in attracting customers, especially the ones who search for convenient and quick options where they can be in and out of the restaurants in just minutes. Most of these restaurants advertise their menu as prepared foods just ready to put in a box and to go in seconds.
Examples of Eateries
For example, Schnippers, which is a well known American restaurant has bold and easy to read signage that gives off a vibe of its menu of burgers and chicken sandwiches as seen in Figure 3. Its bright and inviting aesthetic is appealing to office workers who are looking for a quick and good meal during their lunch break. The appealing, old school vernacular signage used in Schnippers gives customers a preview into what they can expect. In addition, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks which are both major coffee chains have a big presence in Midtown East as seen in Figures 4 & 5. Similarly to Schnippers, Starbucks and Dunkin’ emphasize the convenience of fast and to go food and caffeine options for busy workers. While Schnippers is old school vernacular, the consistency of Starbucks and Dunkin’, making them staple establishments throughout the nation means they only need simple, vernacular signage to entice their customers since most people already know what they are getting themselves into.
Fig 3.
Fig 4.
Fig 5.
Diversity
Another prominent theme featured throughout Midtown East the widespread diversity found. That can be defined in a few different ways, all of which are true. Firstly, Midtown East is an ethnically diverse area where, “in 2022, there were an estimated 112,582 people in Midtown, of which 16.2% identified as Asian, 5.6% identified as Black, 20.9% identified as Hispanic, and 51.5% identified as White.” In an article posted by the NYU Furman Center, we can see the cultural diversity of the linguistic landscape, also depicted in the graph of Figure 6.
Old School Vernacular
Additionally, diversity -in the realm of the linguistic landscape of Midtown East- can mean the difference in signage tactics used. For example, we can see eateries like food trucks, as seen in Figures 7, 8 & 9, depicting old school vernacular signage, as their menus cater to people who want a quick snack or meal while also not wanting to spend much money. The demographic of people targeted by the food trucks is wide as we can see professional workers, blue collar workers and students as their consumers. The signage used makes it easy for customers to quickly know what they want, as these methods are used for time efficient meals, especially for those looking for a convenient late night snack as they usually operate through the night.
Fig 7.
Fig 8.
Fig 9.
New School Vernacular
On the other hand, in terms of new school vernacular, we can see places like Urbanspace and Carrot Express using new school vernacular tactics to attract their customers. New school vernacular is typically used for more upscale seeming restaurants, usually also a little more expensive than old school vernacular restaurants. These types of signs tend to be short and don’t use extra words to describe what is on their menus which creates a more upscale undertone. This signage use can be seen in Figures 10 & 11, as both these places cater more upscale food while still having quick service.
Fig 10.
Fig 11.
The English Language as a Theme
Finally, the most common theme among all the signs photographed from Midtown East is the use of the English language. As English is the most commonly spoke language in the New York City, it comes to no surprise that is it also the most common theme amongst all signs in the Midtown East. In an article by Langroops, Eitan Waxman says “Approximately 65% of the people in New York City speak English at home. English is also the most spoken language in the world, meaning that even people of foreign origins are likely to have a basic command of the language.” In this article, it explains how even in United States, ethnic sub communities primarily use English on their signs. As seen in all the figures in this article, including Figure 12 where a CVS store is depicted, English is the predominant language used when advertising every store. Also, on a graph shown in Figure 13 from the same article by Langroops, we can see that almost 51% of New Yorkers speak only English, leaving another undisclosed fraction of the 49% others who can also speak English, but can also speak other languages. This ties back to the subheading topic about diversity which references the graph in Figure 6, showing the diversity in the linguistic landscape. Given that all the different demographics that live in Midtown East probably know English, it makes sense that the most common theme on the signage in Midtown East is English.
Conclusion
Midtown East’s linguistic landscape is a fast paced urban area known for its mix of corporate offices and residential buildings. Through the signage of popular eateries, food trucks, and national chains, we see the implementation of new school and old school vernacular which each target different demographics using distinct visual and linguistic strategies. The predominance of the English language in signage shows both the global status of English and its role as a common mode of communication in a diverse city like New York. Overall, the signs across Midtown East guide and advertise to the people as they also, when looking deeper into it, tell a story about the people who live, work, eat and ultimately spend their time in Midtown East, Manhattan.
Works Cited
Compass. Midtown East Neighborhood Guide. Compass, www.compass.com/neighborhood-guides/nyc/midtown-east. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
“Exploring Cultural Diversity in Nutrition.” CDC Healthy Schools, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/diversity-in-nutrition.html. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Langroops. Waxman, Eitan. “Languages Spoken in New York City.” Langroops Blog, 2023, www.langroops.com/blog/languages-spoken-in-new-york-city. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
NYU Furman Center. Midtown Neighborhood Data Profile (2022). www.furmancenter.org/neighborhoods/view/midtown. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.