Wolfram, Walt, 1941-....

Walt Wolfram is William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English Linguistics at NCSU and has pioneered research on social and ethnic dialects since the 1960s on varieties of American English.

Walt Wolfram was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in February 1941. In 1963 he married Margaret Linder and they have four children: Tyler (1966), Todd (1968), Terry (1971), Tanya (1973). Wolfram graduated from Wheaton College in 1963 where he received a B.A in Anthropology and minored in Greek. In 1964 he received a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Chicago. Wolfram also holds a M.A. (1966) and Ph.D. (1969) in Linguistics and Anthropology from Hartford Seminary Foundation.

Walt Wolfram is currently the William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English Linguistics at North Carolina State University. Since joining NCSU faculty in 1992, Wolfram's has concentrated his efforts on preserving the rich linguistic heritage of North Carolina and raising public awareness of its cultural significance.

He established the North Carolina Language and Life Project (NCLLP) in 1993, a project that focuses on research, graduate and undergraduate education, and outreach programs related to language in the American South. Wolfram has also held positions as: Interim Head of English, 2005-2006; Interim Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, 2006-2007; Adjunct appointment positions with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Linguistics Dept., 1993-present; Duke University, English Linguistics, 1998-present; University of the District of Columbia, Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, 1970-1992; Professor, 1973-1992; Associate Professor, 1970-1973; Center for Applied Linguistics, 1967-1992; Distinguished Scholar, 1992; Director of Research Division, 1980-1992; Senior Researcher, 1970-1980; Research Associate, 1967-1970, and lecturer in Linguistics, Georgetown University, 1969-1971.

Wolfram has pioneered research on social and ethnic dialects since the 1960s, authoring or co-authoring 20 books and more than 250 articles on varieties of American English. He has also received many awards and honors including the 2008 John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities; Linguistic Society of America Fellow (inducted in inaugural class of Fellows in 2006; Honorary member, Golden Key International Honour Society, North Carolina State Chapter in 2003; the 1995-1996 NC State Alumni Outstanding Research Award; 1995-1996 College of Humanities and Social Sciences(CHASS)Distinguished Research Award, and the CHASS Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professorship Award, NCSU for 1994-1995.