Atypical Spellings in Cyberspace – Between Deviation and Creativity

Once technology enhanced the means of self-expression in multiple ways, Romanian speakers have developed an original manner of spelling in cyberspace. We therefore refer to “nonstandard orthography” as being any type of spelling which abolishes the actual rules imposed by the Orthographic, Orthoepic and Morhological Dictionary of Romanian (abbreviated as DOOM). The main function of unspecific spelling is the stylistic one, non-standard orthography having negative, deprecative meanings or hiding vulgar, indecent, slang terms. Our paper describes occurrent tendencies in cyberlanguage and exemplifies deviations as a possible means of (in)direct characterization of public political figures.