Clerk, the vocational title, commonly refers to a white collar office worker who conducts general office or (in some instances) sales tasks. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service counters and other administrative tasks. ^[1] In American English, this includes shop staff, but in British English, such people are known as shop assistants and are not considered to be clerks. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. British English or UK English ( BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the Also, the pronunciation is different: /klɑː(ɹ)k/ ('clark'/'clahk') in most British English dialects, but /klɝk/ ('clurk') in American English.

Contents 1 History 2 United States 3 Functions and titles 4 See also 5 References

History

The word clerk, derived from the Latin clericus meaning 'cleric', i. A cleric ( Ancient Greek κληρικός - klērikos clergyman (pl e. clergyman (Latin was the foremost language used at most early medieval courts, writing mainly entrusted to clergy as most laymen couldn't even read), can denote someone who works in an office and whose duties include record-keeping or correspondence. A cleric ( Ancient Greek κληρικός - klērikos clergyman (pl An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an Organization with specific duties attached The word entered English from Scots Gaelic clèireach also derived from Latin clericus, which in turn derived from Greek κληρικός (klerikos) "of the clergy"^[2][3]. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly

In a medieval context, the word meant "Scholar" and still related to the word "cleric". Scholarly method &mdash or as it is more commonly called scholarship &mdash is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as A cleric ( Ancient Greek κληρικός - klērikos clergyman (pl Even today, the term Clerk regular designates a type of regular clerics. The term Clerks Regular (singular Clerk Regular designates a number of Catholic priests (clerics who are members of a Religious order (regular of priests The cognate terms in some languages, e. g. Klerk in Dutch, became restricted to a specific, fairly low rank in the administrative hierarchy. Public administration can be broadly described as the development implementation and study of branches of government Policy.

United States

Clerical workers are perhaps the largest occupational group in the United States. In 2004 there were 3. 1 million general office clerks,^[4] 1. 5 million office administrative supervisors and 4. 1 million secretaries. ^[5] Clerical occupations often do not require a college degree, though some college education or 1 to 2 years in vocational programs are common qualifications. Familiarity with office equipment and certain software programs is also often required. Employers may provide clerical training. ^[6] The median salary for clerks is $23,000, while the national median income for workers age 25 or older is $33,000. ^[7] Median salaries ranged from $22,770 for general office clerks to $34,970 for secretaries and $41,030 for administrative supervisors. Clerical workers are considered working class by American sociologists such as William Thompson, Joseph Hickey or James Henslin as they preform highly routinized tasks with relatively little autonomy. The American middle class is an ambiguously defined Social class in the United States. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" ^[8] Sociologist Dennis Gilbert, argues that the white and blue collar divide has shifted to a divide between professionals, including some semi-professionals, and routinized white collar workers. Dennis Gilbert is Professor and chair of Sociology at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. ^[9] White collar office supervisors may be considered lower middle class with some secretaries being located in that part of the socio-economic strata where the working and middle classes overlap.

Traditionally clerical positions have been held almost exclusively by women. Even today, the vast majority of clerical workers in the US continue to be female. As with other pre-dominantly female positions, clerical occupations were and, to some extent, continue to be assigned relatively low prestige on a sexist basis. ^[10] The term pink collar worker is often used to describe predominantly female white collar positions. A pink-collar worker works in a job that is considered traditionally female (these traditions generally harking back to the first half of the twentieth century

Functions and titles

Various functions or offices, generally of such 'clerical' nature, include the word and an indication of the task and/or employer, that is lower in position. For example:

• City clerk
• Clerk of the Peace
• Clerk of the Closet and Deputy Clerk of the Closet
• Clerk of the Green Cloth
• County clerk
• Court clerk, e. The municipal clerk along with the tax collector is the oldest of public servants A Clerk of the Peace was a British office whose responsibility was the records of the Quarter Sessions and the framing of presentments and indictments The College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is under the Clerk of the Closet, an office dating from The Deputy Clerk of the Closet is the Domestic Chaplain to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The Clerk of the Green Cloth was a position in the British Royal Household. The term " county clerk " has been commonly applied in several English-speaking countries to an official of a County government A court clerk ( British English clerk to the court; American English clerk of the court or clerk of court) is an Officer of the g. , Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Data entry clerk
• Law clerk
• Clerk (choral) the name given to adult members of the choir at certain Colleges at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States is the officer of the Supreme Court of the United States responsible for overseeing filings with the Court and maintaining A data entry clerk is a member of staff who reads hand-written or printed records and types them into a Computer. A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a Judge in researching issues before the Court and in writing opinions The clerks are the adult members of the college Choirs of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Clerks Choral is also the name given to the adult members of professional choirs in a number of Cathedrals and Collegiate Churches in Great Britain and Ireland.
• Patent clerk
• Pit Clerk
• Clerk of Works, the highly qualified non-commissioned tradesmen in the Royal Engineers. A patent examiner or patent clerk is an Employee, usually a civil servant, working within a Patent office. Clerks of Works are the most highly qualified non-commissioned tradesmen in the Royal Engineers. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers ( RE) and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps
• Clerk of the Works, a person employed by the client on the site of a building construction project to represent his interests. The Clerk of the Works or Clerk of Works (often abbreviated CoW is a person employed by the Architect or client on a Construction site. In the fields of Architecture and Civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the Building or assembling of Infrastructure
• Clerk of the Privy Council, the senior civil servant in the Canadian federal government and Secretary to the Canadian Cabinet. The Clerk of the Privy Council (Greffier du Conseil privé is the senior Civil servant in the government and the Secretary to the Canadian Cabinet. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis The Cabinet of Canada (Cabinet du Canada plays an important role in the Government of Canada, in accordance with the Westminster System.
• Ward clerk, one who works in a hospital ward

However in large offices and organizations which require an administrative hierarchy, some titles simply indicate the relative rank of certain clerical positions, e. g. Head Clerk, Junior Clerk, Clerk, Senior Clerk, Principal Clerk, Senior Principal Clerk, Chief Clerk, Senior Chief Clerk, Executive Clerk, Senior Executive Clerk, Principal Executive Clerk.

Alternatively (in American English) a clerk is a person who sells items in a store or performs services at a desk, e. g.

• sales clerk (as in grocery sales)
• deli clerk
• hotel front desk clerk
• service desk clerk
• cash register clerk

The surnames Clark, Clarke, Clerk, Clerke are derived from this occupation. A surname is a name added to a Given name and is part of a Personal name. Clark is an Anglo Saxon Surname derived from the Latin clericus meaning "scribe" "secretary" or a scholar within a religious

See also

• White collar
• Pink collar
• Secretary
• American working class
• Social class in the United States
• Clerk (Quaker)

References

1. ^ Meriam Webster, definition of clerical worker. White-collar worker refers to a salaried professional or an educated Worker who performs semi-professional office administrative and sales coordination tasks as opposed to A pink-collar worker works in a job that is considered traditionally female (these traditions generally harking back to the first half of the twentieth century A secretary is either an administrative assistant in business office administration, or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position such as a The American middle class is an ambiguously defined Social class in the United States. There is considerable controversy regarding social class in the United States, and it remains a concept with many competing definitions The clerk of a Quaker meeting is a critical role for the conduct of Quaker affairs Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
2. ^ Clerk, Online Etymology Dictionary
3. ^ Klerikos, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus
4. ^ US Department of Labor, General office clerks. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
5. ^ US Department of Labor, Secretaries and administrative assistants. Retrieved on 2006-06-07. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
6. ^ US Department of Labor, training of secretaries. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
7. ^ U.S. Census Bureau, personal income distribution, age 25+, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
8. ^ Thompson, William; Joseph Hickey (2005). Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Pearson. 0-205-41365-X.  
9. ^ Gilbert, Dennis (1998). The American Class Structure. New York: Wadsworth Publishing. 0-534-50520-1.  
10. ^ Williams, Brian; Stacey C. Sawyer, Carl M. Wahlstrom (2005). Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships. Boston, MA: Pearson. 0-205-36674-0.  

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