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Home > Featured Stories > Community of Scholars > September 2008 > When North Carolina Talks, Walt Wolfram ListensWhen North Carolina Talks, Walt Wolfram Listens
Dr. Walt Wolfram will receive the 2008 John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities.
By Matt Shipman, News Services
From the Appalachian Mountains to the tidal flats of the Outer Banks, Walt Wolfram and his dedicated cadre of researchers and students keep an ear out to chronicle the way North Carolina talks. As a result, Wolfram probably knows more about the language of the Tar Heel State than anyone else on Earth.
Wolfram's efforts to preserve the rich linguistic heritage of North Carolina and raise public awareness of its cultural significance are now being recognized by the North Carolina Humanities Council, which has awarded him its 2008 John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities. Previous winners include former University of North Carolina system President William C. Friday and broadcast journalist Charles Kuralt. Wolfram is the first member of the Wolfpack to receive the award since John Tyler Caldwell himself.
While Wolfram has studied the English language for more than 40 years, his research in North Carolina did not begin until 1992, when he and his wife Marge came to North Carolina after he accepted a position as the William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English at NC State. Prior to the move, Wolfram had taught at both Georgetown University and the University of the District of Columbia, while doing extensive research on African-American dialects – publishing one of the first books on the subject in 1969.
The move to North Carolina found the couple on the road fairly often, familiarizing themselves with their new home state – and kindling an interest in North Carolina's speech that has since resulted in four books, several CDs, and more than half a dozen documentary films.
Wolfram, who also leads the North Carolina Language and Life Project (NCLLP), says, "the documentaries are important because I am not only interested in writing articles for other linguistic experts, but in reaching out to the general public." Wolfram adds that the dialects "are interesting, but are also an important component of Appalachian, Outer Banks and other North Carolina cultures."
The NCLLP focuses on researching and documenting language throughout the American South, and providing resources on these dialects to educators and others interested in the language and culture of the region.
The most recent of these films, "The Carolina Brogue," documents the "hoi toid" dialect of Ocracoke and will premiere at the Stewart Theatre Oct. 23. The premiere will be a double-bill, as Wolfram will also receive the Caldwell Award that evening. NC State Chancellor James Oblinger will give opening remarks, and the award will be presented by William C. Friday.
Wolfram says the Caldwell Award is "a testament of recognition for a very unique humanities venture - the North Carolina Language and Life Project – and is the culmination of the work done by everyone there."
