21 July 2011
Linguist Dennis Baron has a post on a New York City ordinance, dating from 1933, that requires the name of a store “to be publicly revealed and prominently and legibly displayed in the English language either upon a window...or upon a sign conspicuously placed upon the exterior of the building” (General Business Laws, Sec. 9-b, Art. 131). I’m not sure that I agree with Dr. Baron’s assessment that the law is discriminatory and serves no other useful purpose.
The arguments for such signs are that they help combat fraud and fly-by-night stores (this was the purpose of the law when it was drafted) and it aids first responders. Dr. Baron points out that people can lie in any language and GPS is better than signs for first responders. Those rebuttals don’t cut the mustard. Yes, a recognizable name does not stop fraud, but it helps in identifying the location. And people who dial 911 don’t necessarily have GPS coordinates available when they give their location. Besides, as the first responders are driving up the street, a sign is much more useful in accurately pinpointing the location than GPS, which can be off by tens of meters. (Not to mention, that line of sight to GPS satellites is often not available in the canyons of New York City.)
But he does have a point about discrimination, particularly against Asian and Arab businesses.
Perhaps what is needed is not a law that requires English, but a one that requires the name be prominently displayed in the Latin alphabet. The point is not to dictate what language is used, but to ensure the sign can be read by the vast majority of people in the city. The law should also clarify that it is not “Latin characters only,” and that “prominently displayed” does not mean it has to be the largest writing on the sign, only that it can be clearly read from a reasonable distance. (Given the street grid and architecture of NYC, it would be very difficult to specify a distance, say twenty-five meters, in advance. If you can’t see the store front from twenty-five meters away, it would be absurd to require that large a sign.) Enforcement of the law would also have to be monitored to ensure that particular groups were not unfairly targeted.
And there is something to be said for making life welcoming and convenient for everyone who lives in the city. Such a law might actually help these businesses, but making them more welcoming to a larger customer base. It would also help, in a small way, in reducing the insularity of ethnic enclaves in the city. We don’t want eliminate these enclaves, they are a vital and vibrant part of city life, but by making the names of the businesses readable to the majority of residents would help foster ties to and communication with the city at large.
