On the Popularity of Emoticons

Aijing Zhang

doi:10.22158/eltls.v2n2p1

Abstract

Emoticons are now ubiquitous in people’s daily communication in China. The popularity of this new kind of expression is attributed to complex interplay of environment, culture, economy and life style. The functions of emoticons in communication center on the social aspect, to both the sender and the receiver. The aim of the study is to describe, analyze and summarize the usage of emoticons and the social functions in communication.

Highlights

Emoticons are ubiquitous in people’s daily communication in China
Reasons for the Popularity of Emoticons Generally speaking, the popularity of emoticons is the result of the complex interplay of environment, culture, economy and life style
Those who are kept in people’s packages of expressions are primarily celebrities either in the government or in the market. 2.2 Forms of Emoticons The various forms of emoticons are mainly caused by the development of economy and changes of life style

Summary

Introduction

Emoticons are ubiquitous in people’s daily communication in China. The popularity of this new kind of expression is attributed to complex interplay of environment, culture, economy and life style. Reasons for the Popularity of Emoticons Generally speaking, the popularity of emoticons is the result of the complex interplay of environment, culture, economy and life style It is the product of integrity of linguistics, sociology and computer science whose advantages are incomparable to the written or spoken language on the Internet. The phatic function is mostly employed to maintain good relationships with the receiver By using emoticons, it provides the possibility for the receiver to imagine more exactly the sender’s expression and understand the meanings of the communication better. It provides the possibility for the receiver to imagine more exactly the sender’s expression and understand the meanings of the communication better In this case, the emoticons are complements to spoken or written language. Emoticons offer the context for the communication, which is a fairly important factor in linguistic study

Objectives

Conclusion