  We present the first determination of the radial velocities and metallicities
of 78 red giant stars in the isolated dwarf irregular galaxy WLM. Observations
of the calcium II triplet in these stars were made with FORS2 at the VLT-UT2 in
two separated fields of view in WLM, and the [Fe/H] values were conformed to
the Carretta & Gratton (1997) metallicity scale. The mean metallicity is
<[Fe/H]> = -1.27 +/- 0.04 dex, with a standard deviation of 0.37. We find that
the stars in the inner field are more metal rich by [Fe/H] =0.30 +/- 0.06 dex.
These results are in agreement with previous photometric studies that found a
radial population gradient, as well as the expectation of higher metallicities
in the central star forming regions. Age estimates using Victoria-Regina
stellar models show that the youngest stars in the sample (< 6 Gyr) are more
metal rich by [Fe/H] = 0.32 +/- 0.08 dex. These stars also show a lower
velocity dispersion at all elliptical radii compared to the metal-poor stars.
Kinematics for the whole red giant sample suggest a velocity gradient
approximately half that of the gas rotation curve, with the stellar component
occupying a thicker disk decoupled from the HI rotation plane. Taken together,
the kinematics, metallicities, and ages in our sample suggest a young
metal-rich, and kinematically cold stellar population in the central gas-rich
regions of WLM, surrounded by a separate dynamically hot halo of older, metal
poor stars.

Astrophysics of Galaxies