WALT WOLFRAM

If you wonder why residents of Ocracoke Island began referring to vacationers as “dingbatters” around 1972, Walt Wolfram can help (the answer: thank ). He can explain, which has also been expanded into a four-part series. That series’ latest episode, “Signing Black in America,” reveals the surprising ways that African Americans use sign language differently than whites. “I want people to watch our documentaries and say, ‘. I never knew that,’” Wolfram says. At screenings, he adds, “this inevitably happens: Some black person in the audience will come up and say, ‘I never knew our language had such a history, and where it came from. I just thought it was bad speech.’ My inspiration is in getting people to embrace Southern language as an important part of Southern culture.”