Performing and Positioning Orthography in Peruvian CMC

Abstract

Using positioning theory and notions of stylization and performance, we examine alternative orthographies posted in Spanish on a Peruvian radio station's website. These posts were reactions to a published photo of Peruvian indigenous congresswoman Hilaria Supa's orthographic errors in notes she took during a congressional meeting. Contrary to our original assumptions, we find that commenters who used Spanish CMC orthography were less likely to support Hilaria Supa's own Quechua-influenced orthography, while commenters using a hyper-normative Spanish orthography were more supportive of Supa. We discuss possible reasons for this contradiction, with findings that contribute to a growing body of literature on CMC in non-English speaking environments and suggest new beliefs regarding the use of nonstandard Spanish orthographies in asynchronous CMC environments.