NC State Giving News
March 6, 2017
Renowned linguist Walt Wolfram, the William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Linguistics at NC State University, and other leading scholars have studied African-American speech across the nation as a distinct dialect of American English for five decades.
Now, they’re sharing their findings in an hourlong documentary titled Talking Black in America: The Story of African American Language, produced by the Language and Life Project at NC State and premiering on campus this month.
NC State Accolades Magazine
May 24, 2017
In 1965, a young researcher named Walt Wolfram began studying how the African-American community in Detroit used language. It was the beginning of a decades-long effort to better understand the historical, cultural and societal importance of African-American speech.
Drawing on his personal experiences and the work of scholars from around the country, Wolfram recently released a documentary film focusing exclusively on African-American speech.
June 13, 2017
African American English is one of the most controversial language varieties in the United States. Its speakers are often criticized as speaking “bad English,” but its rappers, musicians, poets, and performers have driven countless musical innovations and pop culture trends in the United States. A new documentary, Talking Black in America, tells the complicated story of African American English through interviews with linguists and conversations with native speakers. We asked the film’s executive director, linguist and Planet Word advisor Walt Wolfram, some questions about the influence of African American English and the most common misconceptions surrounding the language variety.
June 13, 2017
Talking Black in America is the first documentary to portray the most controversial and misunderstood language variety in the history of American English. Filmed in locations from the Caribbean and South Carolina Sea Islands to the rural South and metropolitan areas of the North, it examines the historical roots of African American Language, its contemporary status in society, its essential role in everyday life, and its critical utility in artistic performance. The documentary is built around the comments and activities of everyday speakers and performers reflecting real world experiences, curated alongside the observations of linguists, historians, and educators. It showcases the development and changing role of language in the lives of African Americans, as well as the remarkable impact it has had on the speech and culture of the United States and beyond. The documentary confronts the persistent stereotypes and prejudices about African American language and positions it solidly as an integral part of the cultural legacy of all Americans.
Raleigh News & Observer
May 1, 2017
Can we talk?
A documentary talking about talking had the potential to be a snoozefest, a dry dissertation that had people stampeding up the aisles long before the closing credits rolled. That didn’t happen recently when N.C. State University professors premiered “Talking Black in America,” a documentary devoted to the history of African-American speech, its cultural importance and how it has shaped modern American English.
June 9, 2017
The story of African American speech follows the unique circumstances of the descendants of American slaves and their incredible impact on American language and life. The resonant cadences, rhythms and expressiveness of African American speech reflect the imprint of African language systems, the influence of regional British and Southern English and the creativity and resilience of people living through oppression, segregation and the fight for equality. Filmed across the United States, “Talking Black in America” is a startling revelation of language as legacy, identity and triumph. With Reverend Jeremiah Wright, DJ Nabs, Professor Griff, Beast1, Dahlia the Poet and many others. Join filmmaker Walt Wolfram as he discusses the documentary.