Evaluating the Evolution of Emoji Use in Pragmatics
- Mikaela Smith
- Mar 18, 2021
- 5 min read
“Language changes and moves in a different direction evolving all the time. Where a lot of people see deterioration, I see expressive development.” This is a quote from British linguist, academic, and author, David Crystal. Many linguists, sociologists, and educators would agree with Crystal, that there is little to no surprise that language does evolve which allows for development. When new ideas or concepts come to be, words begin to be added to the verbal dictionaries. For example, the verb “tweeting” or “Googling” became part of the human lexicon once Twitter and Google were created and eventually these words are added to dictionaries. This is similar to when words start showing up in different contexts than their origin, for example, the word “lame” has added additional meaning to describe something as dull or unexcited; a word can evolve its meaning given the evolution context of human culture. Language evolution is not a new concept and has been studied through multiple academic topics such as language development, linguistic competence, communicative competence, semantics, syntax and more!
Since the “internet boom” starting in the late 1990s, the evolution of language feels like it has been consistently and constantly changing through the ability to send messages quicker and quicker. One byproduct of the internet boom is this important collection of symbols that heavily influenced our culture and language which are referred to as “emoji” (Pardes, 2018). The idea behind Emoji comes from the late 1990s’ use of “emoticons’' which started in Japan. “Emoticon” is a combined word of “emotion” and “icon” and due to its popular use, has been added to the dictionary. Emoticons use common symbols such as punctuation markings, letters, and numbers to create “a pictorial representation of a facial expression” (Emoticon, 2021). They have been used to clarify syntax meaning with the help of emotions especially through instant messaging, where it is common for messages to be shortened with less information. T-9, also known as “Text on 9 Keys” uses predictive text technology and developed through the use of texting on cell phones. Since the 1990s, emoticons have been adapted into cute “ideograms” and continue to be used for instant messaging, captioning, and cultural references, these ideograms are commonly referred to as “emoji.” To date, the number of emoji surpasses the number of emoticons by over a hundred times.
Emoji have influenced human culture and way of communicating especially through text or instant messaging that when added, a simple “😒” (Unamused Face) can change the meaning of “I am so excited” when added at the end. Through the lens of pragmatics and sociology, there is a better understanding of the evolution of emoji used in common instant messaging. Becker Bryant (2013) talks about “language and social identity” (Berko Gleason & Bernstein Ratner, 2013, p. 146) -- in their example, they talk about racial identity but this idea extends to this ongoing divide between “Millennials” and “Generation Z.'' Like many generations prior, there is always the question of where is the divide and how to distinguish between the generations. One question that has started to circulate as Gen Zers have started to develop into young adults is, which emoji should someone use to say “that’s funny?” Often millennials are known for using this “😂” (Face with Tears of Joy) emoji whereas Gen Z has started to use this emoji “💀” (Skull) to indicate their reaction or deeper meaning of a text. This first came to my attention through a TikTok video where a Gen Z user made the distinction between who uses which emoji and how out of date millennials are by using the “face with tears of joy” emoji. Being part of the born “zillenial'' generation, the gap generation between millennial and Gen Z (someone born in the 1990s early 2000s), it is interesting to see which peers use which emojis. This debate of Millenials versus Gen Z is continuing to be explored through fashion styles, word choices, “lingo,” TikTok users comments, and use of emoji -- “the hallmarks of millennial culture that are now deemed uncool by Gen Z” (Yurieff, 2021).
As an educator, it is important to understand language is more than just the pieces that connect everything that goes into language development. Pragmatics emphasise the context in which sounds turn into words which turn into sentences to convey thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc, there is an important piece that falls under many categories that need to be addressed in teacher preparation programs or a professional development. This “piece” is a multifaceted understanding of diversity & inclusion which encompass differing dialects, accents, different languages, and so much more but it also means there is a need to understand the current culture, cultural references, new “lingo,” that shows up in classrooms. Sometimes the new “lingo” sounds like students saying an acronym aloud. For example, in the late 2000s and early 2010s, it was common to hear students say “LOL” (which is a texting acronym for “laughing out loud”) as “L-uh-l” or the letter names “L-O-L.” LOL comes from ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing) but LOL itself, quickly lost the meaning of actually laughing out loud or indicating that something is funny. Now, LOL is used as a space-filler in text and expressed verbally or not used at all.
Prutting & Kirchner (1987) reference Penn’s work from 1983 which discusses these “pragmatic parameters” (p. 106); these pragmatic parameters are the following: “nonverbal communication, sociolinguistic sensitivity, fluency, cohesion, control of semantic context, and responsiveness to the interlocutor” (Prutting & Kirchner, p. 106). Do note that the Prutting & Kirchner (1987) article was written before the “internet boom” but can still be applied for pragmatic understanding emoticons, instant messaging lingo, memes, and emoji. Becker Bryant (2013) discusses this idea of “communicative competence” which requires complex skills for full competence. For example, the ability to use abstract concepts called “scripts” (Berko Gleason & Bernstein Ratner, 2013, p. 152). This allows humans to remember the context and continue to communicate in an “appropriate” way. Perhaps it is the “appropriate” usage of “😂” (Face with Tears of Joy) when messaging millennials and “💀” (Skull) when communicating to Gen Z.
Due to the internet and the accessibility of virtually connecting with others, the influence of peers’ extends unimaginably outside of the classroom. This can be a blessing and curse, but ultimately the ability to use the internet to connect quickly with others means trends, fads, lingo, calling out which generation uses the “old-fashioned” emoji, is also that much quicker at evolving or dying out (just like the use of ROFL). As companies continue to use, update, and diversify emojis, they will continue to add value and importance to not only communication competence but expanding upon symbols used to communicate. One specific example of diversifying emojis is the “Love-You Gesture,” 🤟which is also the ASL hand sign for “I Love you.” This emoji was added in 2017 which adds a unique perspective to the bigger metalinguistics conversation of using one language (American Sign Language) in another medium language format (emoji). The prevalence of emojis outside of the classroom, inside the classroom, in students, in educators, and pragmatically should not be ignored.
Resources
Emoticon. (2021, March 01). Retrieved March 02, 2021, from
Becker Bryant, J. (2013). Language in Social Context: Development of Communicative
Competence. J.
Berko Gleason & N. Bernstein Ratner (Authors), The development of language (9th ed., pp. 137-
157). Boston: Pearson.
Pardes, A. (2018, February 01). The WIRED Guide to Emoji. Retrieved March 1, 2021, from
Prutting, C. A., & Kirchner, D. M. (1987). A Clinical Appraisal of the Pragmatic Aspects of Language.
Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 52, 105-119.
Yurieff, K. (2021, February 15). Sorry, millennials: The 'laugh cry' emoji isn't cool anymore,
according
to gen z. Retrieved March 02, 2021, from https://abc13.com/laugh-cry-emoji-not-cool-gen-z-laughing-emojis-millennials-tiktok/10339439/
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