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Article published In:
Spanish in Context
Vol. 20:1 (2023) ► pp.208–231

Metalinguistic discourse and dialect performance

Perception and negotiation of Ecuadorian Andean identity expressed through dar + gerund on Twitter

ORCID logo | University of Denver

This investigation examines how dialect identity and linguistic ideologies are negotiated and performed through dar +gerund, a northern Andean Spanish construction used to express an attenuated request or favor. Specifically, positive, neutral, and negative sentiments expressed through metalinguistic commentary are analyzed from a corpus of 450 tweets collected on Twitter between 2008- May 2019. This analysis shows how a higher degree of emotional intensity in negative sentiments signals linguistic and cultural discrimination towards this Kichwa-contact induced construction. On the other end, positive sentiments celebrate and defend this feature as an intrinsic part of the Andean Ecuadorian dialect and identity. This negotiation of the linguistic and cultural significance of dar +gerund serves to destabilize dominant negative perceptions and renegotiate the meaning of this NAS feature.

Keywords: dialect performance, computer mediated discourse (CMD), linguistic ideologies
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Twitter and social media: Tweets as a performative language practice
  • 3.Description and perception of dar + gerund as a Kichwa-contact phenomenon in formal and informal sources
  • 4.Methods
  • 5.Data
    • 5.1Neutral tweets: Locating and affirming uses of dar +gerund
    • 5.2Positive sentiments: Admiration, pride, and ownership
    • 5.3Negative sentiments: Incorrect, ugly and othering
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 2 February 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sic.20042.gue
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