Visualization of Modern Digital Communication: Emoji Instead of Words

Abstract

The article analyzes emoji as a story-containing discursive practice of digital communication, which has a sign nature and replaces the verbal sign. The study describes the semantic, syntactic and pragmatic features of emoji functioning in digital communication. Syntactically, emoji act as punctuation marks, signaling a change of topic within a conversation, or completing it. The semantics of emoji are mostly determined by the message context and their connotative meanings, the interpretation of which depends on various linguistic and extra-linguistic factors. The pragmatic potential of emoji is manifested in the demonstration of human attitudes towards the surrounding reality, the interlocutor and oneself. It was found that the use of emoji is aimed not only at saving language and time in the process of communication, but also at establishing new semantic nuances and evaluative components of the text of the message. However, it is noted that communication based solely on the use of emoji cannot be full-fledged. In the context of the story concept, emoji implement plot characteristics, revealing the plot construct created by the verbal text. In addition, emoji are characterized by metaphoricity, acting as a kind of symbols, metaphors expressing an emotional state, action, phenomenon or process. The analysis of the factual material also allowed to draw a conclusion about the dual nature of emoji, which can both express universal emotions, stereotypes and values, and have a national and cultural specificity