The Linguistic Landscape of Mapleton in Brooklyn, NY

View of New York City from the 14th Floor of Baruch Vertical Campus
Public Domain Image by Alan Levine

By Okkar Myo

Introduction

Mapleton is a neighborhood in southern Brooklyn, New York City. It shoulders Bensonhurst and Borough Park to the west and Midwood to the east. “Today, Mapleton is a diverse and vibrant community with a mix of residential homes, apartment buildings, and small businesses” (Mapleton). Even though it’s a very small neighborhood, it has everything you need located within the area, from grocery stores and restaurants to religious centers and local businesses. In this blog, I am focusing on the area around 60th Street in Mapleton (Figure 1), analyzing the patterns and themes visible in public spaces. My reason for choosing this area for my linguistic landscape project is because I have lived in this neighborhood for almost two years, and I would say I am quite familiar with it.

Mapleton was a predominantly Jewish neighborhood for many years after World War II. But in the 1980s and 1990s, the area experienced an influx of immigrants from China, Italy, and Russia. In the article “When Is a Neighborhood a Sandwich?”, Gregor emphasizes that “our population is a mixture of Italian, Jewish, Asian, Pakistan, Polish, Latino and Arab families” (Gregor). Since it’s a culturally diverse area, you can find all types of culturally distinct shops and restaurants, religious buildings, and signage that reflect different communities. These elements make Mapleton an ideal location for examining how language functions in shared public spaces. In the following paragraphs, I am going to specifically focus on three themes: Do and Don’t sign (regulatory discourse), Bilingualism and Language Visibility, and Visible and Invisible Identities.

Figure 1 [Map of Mapleton, Brooklyn, NY]

“Do” and “Don’t” Signs

These are common signs found in every neighborhood, often used to regulate behavior and maintain order in a neighborhood.

  • ‘No Parking (Thursday 9:30am-11am)’ (Figure 2)
  • ‘No Parking in Driveway’ (Figure 3)
  • ‘Do Not Place Unsolicited Advertising Materials on This Property’ (Figure 4)
  • ‘Please Pick Up After Your Dog’ (Figure 5)

These signs administer how public interact with urban spaces, holding up the social norms and legal regulations.

Figure 2 [No Parking Thursday 9:30am – 11am]
Figure 3 [No Parking in Driveway]
Figure 4 [ Do Not Place Unsolicited Advertising Materials on this Property sign]
Figure 5 [ Please Pick Up after your Dog sign]

As you can see, all these signs convey instructions or prohibitions for the public. They can be categorize into two main groups:

  1. Signs that enforce consequences (Legal or Financial Penalties)

These signs indicate rules that, if broken, may result in fines, towing, or other legal actions. They serve as formal warnings backed by authorities or property owners.

  • ‘No Parking (Thursday 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM)’ (Figure 2) indicates that violators risk fines or towing.
  • ‘No Parking in Driveway’ (Figure 3) specify that blocking the driveway will result in towing at vehicle owner’s expense.

2. Signs that remind people of Social Norms (Without Formal Penalties)

These signs rely on social expectations rather than strict enforcement. They encourage the public to behave responsibly but do not necessarily result in punishment if not followed.

  • ‘Do not Place Unsolicited Advertising Materials on this Property‘ (Figure 4)
  • ‘Please Pick Up After Your Dog’ (Figure 5), primarily relies on social responsibility and public awareness since it doesn’t follow any financial consequences for not cleaning up after pets.

If we analyze these ‘Do’ and ‘Don’t’ signs more closely, the signs that enforce consequences, such as those in Figures 2 and 3, are typically written on a white background with red font. Red is commonly used in signs due to its strong association with danger, urgency, and attention-grabbing properties, making it the go-to color for warnings and regulatory messages. These signs are usually written in all capital letters and often include symbols indicating prohibited actions and their consequences, such as towing in Figure 3. As a result, when the general public sees these signs, they immediately understand that breaking the rules will lead to repercussions.

On the other hand, the signs in Figures 4 and 5 are written on a white background with black font, serving more as a reminder for the general public rather than a strict enforcement of rules. Even though Mapleton is an ethnically diverse neighborhood, the presence of multiple languages does not necessarily require bilingual signage in all areas. Certain signs, such as ‘Do’ and ‘Don’t’ signs, are written in English and include symbols, prioritizing standardization and visual cues for better understanding.

Bilingualism and Language visibility

In the article of “When is a Neighborhood a Sandwich” by Alison Gregor, he mentioned that “Two blocks east, on 20th Avenue, the mix of businesses is even more diverse, reflecting Mapleton as a melting pot, with signs in Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Hebrew, Korean and English.” (Gregor).Since Mapleton is a culturally diverse neighborhood, another recognizable aspect of its linguistic landscape is the presence of multiple languages on public signage. For example, take a look at Figures 6–9. Each individual storefront displays bilingual signs that combine the native language of the business owner’s cultural background with English. This reflects the cultural and ethnic diversity of the area.

Figure 6 (Whale Bubble-Tea Shop)
Figure 7 (J & S Prep Inc)

In Figures 6 and 7, you can see signs written in both Chinese and English. If you look closely, you’ll notice that in both images, the Chinese text is written in bold and a larger font size, followed by the English translation in a smaller and more neutral font. This layout suggests that the primary audience is likely Chinese-speaking, while English is used as a secondary language for wider accessibility.

Figure 8 (Barber shop welcome sign)
Figure 9 (Barber Shop sign)

Similarly, Figures 8 and 9 feature two barbershop signs. One is written in English and Spanish with the word “Welcome,” while the other displays “Barber Shop” in both English and Russian. These types of bilingual signs not only help businesses communicate with the general public, but also show who they are trying to reach.

The visibility of some languages more than others can also indicate which communities are more dominant or growing in the area. In Figures 6 and 7, Chinese is more prominent than English, while in Figures 8 and 9, English is used as the base language, accompanied by the native language of the store owners. This pattern shows that language is used not just for practical communication, but also as a way to express identity and a sense of belonging in a multicultural neighborhood like Mapleton.

Visible and Invisible Identities

Mapleton has both religious and commercial signage, which plays an important role in shaping the neighborhood’s linguistic landscape and reflecting the identities of its diverse communities.

Take a look at Figure 10. As you can see, this is the Jewish Community Center of Bensonhurst. At the top of the building, there is a sign related to religion, with text written in both Hebrew and English, reflecting the Jewish presence and heritage in Mapleton. Both texts are written in a gold lettering, adding a sense of honor and sacredness to the design. The sign also features two Torah scrolls with Hebrew script inside, to reflect the sacred and communal values of the Jewish faith. The use of Hebrew serves a religious and cultural purpose, maintaining a connection to tradition, while English acts as a bridge to the general public, making the space accessible and recognizable to the broader community.

Figure 10 (Jewish Community Center)

Meanwhile, the store sign in Figure 11 is also quite unique. It shows the storefront of Djerdan Burek Shop, which uses English text along with images of a rolling pin and wheat to emphasize that this is a bakery or pastry shop. These visual elements make it stand out from other store designs and more traditional, old-school vernacular signage.

Even though the name is written in English, Burek is a traditional filled pastry that is popular in the Balkans, Turkey, and parts of Eastern Europe. To briefly explain about what Burek is, it is a range of pastry dishes made by layering thin phyllo dough, with fillings such as cheese, minced meat, spinach and seasonings, along with a creamy egg yogurt mixture which is baked into a crispy and flaky pie-like dish. So, even without the presence of a native language on the sign, the design choices and the food name itself act as identity markers, clearly expressing the store’s cultural and ethnic roots.

Figure 11 (Burek Shop)

The previous images from Figures 10 and 11 involve signage or text that clearly illustrate which ethnic and cultural background they are from. Here is an interesting case, refer to Figure 12. It shows NetCost Market, a grocery store, with signage written entirely in English using a modern and simple design. The sign includes a shopping cart with fruit shaped like a globe, which suggests they sell global products.

Despite the lack of a specific language or cultural symbols, the store is well known for offering European and Russian goods. NetCost is described as “a fantastical wonderland of Russian identity” (Steiman). She also mentioned that it’s often found in areas with a large Russian-speaking population. This shows how commercial signage can appear neutral on the surface while still nurturing strong cultural ties through its products and community engagement.

Figure 12 (NetCost Grocery Market)

Conclusion

To conclude, studying the linguistic landscape is clearly a broad area, with many different themes to explore and analyze. What I’ve learned from this project is to pay more attention to my surroundings. Even though I walk past these signs every single day, I’ve never really taken the time to think about what they mean or the messages they’re trying to convey. Now that I’ve had the chance to analyze these signs in my ethnically and culturally diverse neighborhood, I’ve learned how language, visuals, and design choices can portray community values and cultural identity. The linguistic landscape of Mapleton tells the story of the community and what they care about, from regulatory “Do” and “Don’t” signs that shape public behavior to multilingual storefronts that reflect the area’s rich cultural diversity.

Works Cited