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In 1993, Wolfram formulated the principle of linguistic gratuity, which states that "investigators who have obtained linguistic data from members of a speech community should actively pursue ways in which they can return linguistic favors to the community".<ref>Wolfram, Walt. 1993. Ethical considerations in language awareness programs. Issues in Applied Linguistics 4: 227.</ref> He directs the North Carolina Language and Life Project at North Carolina State University. He has been involved in the production of television documentaries on dialect diversity (often in collaboration with [[Neal Hutcheson]]), the construction of museum exhibits, and the development of dialect awareness curricula for schools and the general public.{{citation needed|date = April 2014}}
In 1993, Wolfram formulated the principle of linguistic gratuity, which states that "investigators who have obtained linguistic data from members of a speech community should actively pursue ways in which they can return linguistic favors to the community".<ref>Wolfram, Walt. 1993. Ethical considerations in language awareness programs. Issues in Applied Linguistics 4: 227.</ref> He directs the North Carolina Language and Life Project at North Carolina State University. He has been involved in the production of television documentaries on dialect diversity (often in collaboration with [[Neal Hutcheson]]), the construction of museum exhibits, and the development of dialect awareness curricula for schools and the general public.{{citation needed|date = April 2014}}


Wolfram's book with [[Jeffrey Reaser]], ''Talkin' Tar Heel: How our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina'' (2014 UNC Press) was the first popular linguistics book to embed more than 100 video and audio clips through the use of [[QR code|QRs]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirkpatrick |first=Lauren |date=June 19, 2014 |title=‘Talkin’ Tar Heel’ Explores Dialects |work=NC State University Humanities and Social Sciences News |url=https://chass.ncsu.edu/news/2014/06/19/talkin-tar-heel-explores-dialects/ |access-date=2022-06-23}}</ref>
Wolfram's book with [[Jeffrey Reaser]], ''Talkin' Tar Heel: How our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina'' (2014 UNC Press) was the first popular linguistics book to embed more than 100 video and audio clips through the use of [[QR code|QRs]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirkpatrick |first=Lauren |date=June 19, 2014 |title=‘Talkin’ Tar Heel’ Explores Dialects |work=NC State University Humanities and Social Sciences News |url=https://chass.ncsu.edu/news/2014/06/19/talkin-tar-heel-explores-dialects/ |access-date=2022-06-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Creating and Digitizing Language Corpora |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |isbn=978-1-137-38644-1 |editor-last1=Corrigan |editor-first1=Karen P. | editor-last2=Mearns | editor-first2=Adam |edition= |volume=3: Databases for Public Engagement |pages=150 |doi=10.1057/978-1-137-38645-8}}</ref>


== Awards and Honors ==
== Awards and Honors ==

Revision as of 01:56, 24 June 2022

Walt Wolfram
Born (1941-02-15) February 15, 1941 (age 83)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Linguist
  • professor
Known forSociolinguistics
Variationist sociolinguistics
Academic background
Education
Doctoral advisorRoger Shuy
Academic work
Institutions
Websitechass.ncsu.edu/people/wolfram/

Walt Wolfram (/ˈwʊlfrəm/; born February 15, 1941) is an American sociolinguist at North Carolina State University, specializing in social and ethnic dialects of American English. He was one of the early pioneers in the study of urban African American English through his work in Detroit in 1969.[1] Since the 1960s he has authored or co-authored 20 books and more than 300 articles on variation in American English. He was an active participant in the 1996 debate surrounding the Oakland Ebonics controversy, supporting the legitimacy of African American English as a systematic language system. Going beyond African American English, Wolfram has written extensively about Appalachian English, Puerto Rican English, Lumbee English, and on many of the dialects of North Carolina, particularly those of rural, isolated communities such as Ocracoke Island.

Biography

Wolfram was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1941.[2] His parents were German immigrants.[3] He received his B.A. in anthropology (Greek) from Wheaton College in 1963, his M.A. in linguistics from Hartford Seminary Foundation in 1966, and his Ph.D. in linguistics from Hartford Seminary Foundation in 1969, studying under Roger Shuy. He has been on the faculty at Georgetown University and the University of the District of Columbia, was the Director of Research at the Center for Applied Linguistics from 1980 to 1992, and in 1992 was named the first William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor of English Linguistics at North Carolina State University.[4] Wolfram is a former president of the Linguistic Society of America as well as of the American Dialect Society.

In 1993, Wolfram formulated the principle of linguistic gratuity, which states that "investigators who have obtained linguistic data from members of a speech community should actively pursue ways in which they can return linguistic favors to the community".[5] He directs the North Carolina Language and Life Project at North Carolina State University. He has been involved in the production of television documentaries on dialect diversity (often in collaboration with Neal Hutcheson), the construction of museum exhibits, and the development of dialect awareness curricula for schools and the general public.[citation needed]

Wolfram's book with Jeffrey Reaser, Talkin' Tar Heel: How our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina (2014 UNC Press) was the first popular linguistics book to embed more than 100 video and audio clips through the use of QRs.[6][7]

Awards and Honors

In 2008, Wolfram was honored with the prestigious John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.[8] In 2010, he was awarded the Linguistics, Language, and the Public Award by the Linguistic Society of America.[9] In 2013, he was awarded the North Carolina Award, the highest award given to a North Carolina citizen.[4] In 2019, he was inducted into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ Wolfram, Walt. 1969. Linguistic correlates of social differences in the Negro Community. In James Alatis (ed.), Georgetown Monograph Series on Languages and Linguistics No. 22, 249 57.
  2. ^ "Wolfram Papers". North Carolina State University Libraries. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  3. ^ Crabtree, Kelly, and Sarah Gallo. "'Talking Black in America' documentary dissects dialect". Technician. Retrieved 2022-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Kirkpatrick, Lauren (December 6, 2013). "Wolfram Earns State's Highest Civilian Honor". NC State University Humanities and Social Sciences News. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  5. ^ Wolfram, Walt. 1993. Ethical considerations in language awareness programs. Issues in Applied Linguistics 4: 227.
  6. ^ Kirkpatrick, Lauren (June 19, 2014). "'Talkin' Tar Heel' Explores Dialects". NC State University Humanities and Social Sciences News. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  7. ^ Corrigan, Karen P.; Mearns, Adam (eds.). Creating and Digitizing Language Corpora. Vol. 3: Databases for Public Engagement. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 150. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-38645-8. ISBN 978-1-137-38644-1.
  8. ^ "Wolfram to Receive Caldwell Award, Screen New Documentary". NC State University Bulletin. September 2008. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  9. ^ University Communications (January 14, 2010). "Wolfram Honored". NC State University News. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  10. ^ Wardle, Suzanne (May 1, 2019). "Walt Wolfram Accepted Into American Academy of Arts and Sciences". NC State University News. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  11. ^ Conner, Hannah (October 3, 2019). "NC State professor inducted to American Academy at Harvard: first outside of STEM". Technician. Retrieved 2022-06-23.

Wolfram, Walt and Jeffrey Reaser. 2014. Talkin' Tar Heel: How our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina. Chapel Hill. University of North Carolina Press.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walt_Wolfram&oldid=1094700134"