A world without the beloved emoji? Unimaginable. 🤯
The emoji has undeniably changed the way we write, often leading to shorter, more concise messages. While some linguists worry that this signals a decline in language skills, others see it as sort of an evolution in communication.
However, overall linguists seem to agree on one thing: the emoji is not actually what we define as a ‘language’, but it contributes with immense potential to global communication in the digital age.
Even though emoji do not convey grammar and their meaning can be interpreted differently – depending on context, culture or other factors – they seem to add a humanising layer to digital communication. We can indicate tone, such as irony, other emotions or body language through them. It is hard to imagine a time when it was not as easy to signal sarcasm or state of mind because all one had to rely on was the written word. As Jennifer Daniel, chair of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee of the Unicode Consortium, explained in a 2022-interview with Figma:
‘In digital spaces, we take the things we naturally do, that we don’t consciously think about—rhythm, cadence of speech, volume, eye contact, body language—and channel them through emoji’
In fact, the emoji can help us not only clarify or highlight a friendly tone, it can be used to subvert the meaning of a sentence or add total ambiguity.
On the topic of meaning Daniel continues ‘Is “Heart on Fire” a religious thing? Or is that heartburn? Or does it convey desire? It’s all those things because it has been used in all those contexts before.’ ❤️🔥🤔
Most likely, the emoji will not replace the written word, but it is unquestionably another tool we use to evolve and understand language – and each other.
The Big 💥
The first digital smiley (emoticon) came about in the 80s, but it wasn’t until the 90s, that the first real emoji was invented, in Japan. When designer Shigetaka Kurita created the first set of 176 emoji for his company’s mobile internet platform, i-mode, he took inspiration from manga (Japanese comics), Chinese characters and common icons.
The emoji quickly became very popular in Japan, so by the time smartphones were introduced, an emoji keyboard was developed for the Japanese market. In 2008, the emoji was introduced to Gmail and iPhone OS, and finally in 2011, once the emoji was standardized, Google & Apple released their own emoji-keyboards. With that, the emoji spread across the globe – like wildfire. 🔥🔥🔥
The impact of the humble emoji has proven to extend way beyond casual conversation. Today, it has been integrated into various aspects of communication. In 2015, the Oxford English Dictionary named the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji as the Word of the Year, highlighting the influence of these symbols on language and culture.
Though, contrary to common assumption and unlike the word emoticon, emoji has nothing to do with ‘emotions’. What it means is ‘pictograph’ as it is made up of the Japanese words ‘絵’ (pronounced eh, meaning picture) and ‘文字’ (pronounced mōji, meaning letter/character).
Why say 🙂 when you can say 🎈🎈🎈😛😛😛😛🤪🌈🔥💥☀️🍓🥞❣️💙💚💛🧡
It turns out, emoji are not only a hit with adults. Young children seem to have their own method in using emoji to communicate – and it is quantity. The use a lot of emoji.
Preliterate children use emoji quite differently from adults or teens. As linguist and author of the book Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, Gretchen McCulloch, calls it,’strings of random emoji’ are what young children mainly use to communicate digitally, which correlates with childlike babbling. This is because children at that age are still observing and testing the rhythm and rules of language.
Instead of using one ‘Cat’ emoji, they may use five or ten and combine them with multiple ‘Heart’ emoji. 😽😽😽😽😽😛❤️💙💜
As McCulloch puts it in her WIRED blog: ’By exposing kids to the rhythm of electronic conversations, emoji may be a useful precursor to reading—a way of acclimating kids to the digital reality of using symbols to communicate with people they care about.’
As children gain access to digital communication, there is great opportunity for developing communication skills before they begin to use the written word. Emoji are a tool with potential for expression and exploration, seemingly because their meaning is not always definite or specific.
And what is even the plural of emoji? 👀
Emoji? Emojis?
Many linguists insist that ‘emoji’ is the correct answer, meaning the plural should be identical to the singular. Others argue that it should be ‘emojis’ because the word is a westernised version of the Japanese original.
There is no clear consensus and the Oxford English Dictionary lists both as options. What it shows is that the emoji is heavily shaped by its place of origin: the cyber sphere.
The internet is open to everyone and even though it is shaped by commerce, companies and other big players, it is also shaped by all the people who participate in it. There is not one institution which governs the whole of the internet, just like there is not one institution that decides exactly how an emoji is to be used.
Just like any language or communication device, emoji have evolved over the years. Some have been banished, while others were updated and, of course, some were added. 🦄
It makes one wonder how we ever managed to live without a ‘Party Face’ emoji. (It was only introduced in 2018!) 🥳😱
In 2016, the famous ‘Aubergine’ emoji underwent some updates in an attempt to remind users less of the male anatomy. (A classic example of unintended double-meaning 😏)
Furthermore, the diversity of our emoji has expanded, reflecting a broader range of skin tones, genders, and cultural symbols, thereby promoting inclusivity and, ultimately, changing our own perception of the world.
With the rise of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), the trend will undoubtedly move further in the direction of more advanced and personalised emoji. This will, no doubt, shape how we express ourselves in the digital age, making communication even more dynamic.
Ultimately, the rise and popularity of the emoji has proven, once again, that language is always multi-layered and, most importantly, ever-evolving. 🌏