36.1925, Reviews: Emoji Speak: Danic (2025)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-1925. Sat Jun 21 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.1925, Reviews: Emoji Speak: Danic (2025)

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Date: 20-Jun-2025
From: Jean Danic [calkinsjean at gmail.com]
Subject: General Linguistics, Pragmatics, Semantics: Danic (2025)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/36-421

Title: Emoji Speak
Subtitle: Communication and Behaviours on Social Media
Publication Year: 2023

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
           http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/
Book URL: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/emoji-speak-9781350371507/

Author(s): Jieun Kiaer

Reviewer: Jean Danic

SUMMARY
Chapter 1
The first chapter serves as the book’s introduction and begins by
expounding upon the evolution of the use of emojis in our everyday
lives and the importance they have now in our communication.  The
author also discusses the varying meanings any single emoji might have
depending on the age, culture, or technological savviness of its user.
She also posits the question of whether the instant gratification and
increase in response time expected in the modern era, in part due to
the use of emojis, is a good thing, and she states that this is just
one of the many questions explored by the book.  The author states
that the overall purpose of this text is to explore this new field of
emoji linguistics and to show readers its significance.  What follows
is a chapter-by-chapter summary of what will be discussed.
Chapter 2
The second chapter is titled, “Emoji Speak.”  In this chapter, emojis
are defined, and their origins are explained.  The author explores the
many meanings of the word ‘emoji’ and all of the things that could
constitute one, more than just the small faces we generally think of
when picturing an emoji.  The use of ‘emoji’ as a verb is proposed as
a necessary addition to verbs like ‘text’ as ‘emoji speak,’ a term
coined by the author, has become quintessential, particularly on smart
phone screens.  The chapter delves into emoji speech by discussing its
complexities, cultural differences, and unifying nature.  Another
term, ‘emoji native’ is coined, and the differences in those who grew
up using emojis and those who did not are compared, as emoji speak
seems to begin with the youth and those who have the most access to
technology.  The next section delves into the differences in tone that
various emojis can add to a standard message, and the last few
sections of this chapter define emoticons, emojis, stickers, image
macros and memes, and GIFs, all of which are encompassed by the term
‘emoji’ as used in the remainder of the book.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3, “Emoji Evolution,” points out that while this is not the
first linguistic text to analyze emojis, this mode of communication
changes quickly, and older books rapidly become outdated. Smartphone
sizes and updates, character limits, new platforms, and other changes
force communication to change too.  Snapchat specifically has altered
the way certain emojis are used and perceived. The chapter also
discusses the many ways spaces online and offline are now connected,
and how those lines sometimes become blurred (one example used is
online shopping). The author explores the myriad ways that smartphone
technology and app-usage have evolved and how emojis themselves have
meanings which can vary so widely and change so quickly that they can
be hard to define.  The chapter has sections which discuss the making
of emojis, how they acquire meanings, and how they go in and out of
vogue. This transitions to the topic of internet users creating
avatars to represent themselves and the ethics of the identities
presented by internet users, particularly based on chosen avatars.
Avatars can also be playful and valuable to their users, as found in a
study cited in this chapter.  They can additionally be used to conceal
popular online personas’ identities, as exemplified by ‘vtubers.’
Briefly, the phenomenon of ‘soundmojis’ is discussed.  In the end, the
author posits that even immediately after this book’s publication,
there will be new developments in the world of emojis.
Chapter 4
The fourth chapter is called, “Emojiing: How and Why?”  This chapter
begins by explaining the overall purpose of emojis, which seems to be
to express things words alone cannot and to make our communication
more efficient.  The author coins the ‘three S’s’ in this chapter,
which include speed, style, and solidarity.  Simply put, emojis help
us communicate more quickly, they help us express our own personal
styles, and they can help us bond with one another.  The chapter also
describes the multilingual nature of emojis, and how translanguaging
can easily occur given the freedom that smartphone users have when
expressing themselves through text.  Even color can add shades of
meaning when communicating via emoji.  Additionally, the chapter
discusses the ways in which each person creates their own emoji
idiolect based on their identities and the groups to which they
belong.  Differences in emoji competence, particularly between
generations, are also explored as they can lead to some
misunderstandings.  Punctuation is part of this conversation too,
given that traditional punctuation is often abandoned in smartphone
exchanges, but its inclusion or lack thereof can convey varying shades
of meaning.  Emojis or punctuation symbols can be gap fillers as well,
and the ways they soften tone, particularly the Korean ‘squiggle,’ are
explored.  In the end, the chapter posits that the use of emojis fills
an important function for meaning.
Chapter 5
Chapter 5, “Emoji Diversity,” delineates all of the different types of
emojis which exist as well as how some of them came to be and are now
used.  The etymology of ‘emoji’ from its Japanese origin is explained,
and the Unicode Consortium, along with how it chooses which emojis to
incorporate, is also explained in-depth.  A major point within this
section of the chapter is the cultural diversity of the available
emojis, and even more important the lack of such diversity.  The
chapter also discusses representation of different genders and races
through the use of varying emojis and how different platforms’ designs
can promote diversity or even unintentionally promote problematic
stereotypes or separation rather than unity.  Customizable emojis may
solve some of these issues.  The latter part of the chapter deals with
the diversity of emojis available in China specifically, including on
WeChat and other platforms.  There can also be different cultural
interpretations of common emojis with the potential for
misunderstandings between the user and receiver.  Overall, emoji
meanings and usage are not universal, and more study is needed to
understand one another better and provide better diversity of
representation.
Chapter 6
This chapter is called, “Emoji Power,” and it covers the impact that a
simple emoji can have.  The author points to specific real-world
instances in which an emoji carried enough weight to have serious
effects in political and social circumstances.  Emoji use in
advertising and journalism as well as statistics including their
effects on consumer engagement are cited.  Emojis have proven powerful
in social protests or in the promotion of social causes too, causing
them to be censored or banned in certain circumstances as relayed by
the author. Additionally, court cases in which emojis have been
crucial aspects of the case are described, again showing the real
power these symbols can have beyond their digital contexts.  In
general, all examples provided throughout this chapter serve the
purpose of demonstrating how impactful emojis can be.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is titled, “Emoji Emoticons.” This chapter explores the
range of emotions expressed by emojis, the depth of emotions that may
be lacking, whether condensing complex emotions into a symbol is
actually a good thing, and how this might affect the real emotions of
both children and adults.  Emojis function as reactions, for one,
allowing us to react to a given piece of news or information in record
time, but the reaction of just an emoji may be too simplistic.  They
also function as tone indicators or softeners.  Regardless of their
many useful functions, the author wonders in this chapter whether they
can really express complex emotions and whether they are actually
making us more efficient versus stunting our actual emotional depth.
There are also problems in the way that different people may perceive
the same emoji differently depending on their own cultural background
or even just the emoji’s design on the platform they are using.
Children’s usage of smartphones and emojis is also discussed, with
possible benefits as well as drawbacks explained.  The last section of
the chapter before its summary explores Asian emojis, specifically
their personified character emojis.
Chapter 8
This chapter, “Emoji Sensitivity,” centers mainly on the need for
awareness in using emojis and consideration for how they will be
interpreted by the receiver.  People from different cultural
backgrounds, for example, may use and interpret specific emojis
differently from others.  This extends to the workplace as well, and
while Westerners tend to use emojis far less in the workplace, this is
not true in places like China and Korea. Emojis may be seen as adding
to or detracting from politeness as well.  The chapter then delves
into how age, hierarchy, and levels of personal intimacy matter when
choosing which emojis are appropriate to send.  Gender is another
factor which plays a role here, and the author discusses how the two
genders use emojis for different functions and have somewhat different
attitudes regarding their overall use.  The use of emojis from one
gender to another is also complex as users typically want to avoid
misunderstandings of romantic intent.  Korean, Jordanian, and French
cases of related phenomena are explored.  In the next part of the
chapter, the author discusses how the emoji users' individual style
and identity matters, as well as who they are speaking to and whether
it is another individual or a group.  The last section before the
chapter summary is about cross-cultural sensitivity and how emojis
certainly do not have universal meanings, even for a symbol as simple
as a smiley face.  Overall, emoji meanings are never static and are
always changing depending on a wide variety of factors.
Chapter 9
Chapter 9 is called, ‘Emoji Stylistics,’ and in this chapter, the
author examines exactly that.  Essentially, she is using this term to
describe how emoji users tailor the use of these symbols to suit their
needs and the specific contexts in which they use them.  Korean
speakers, as she notes, must be particularly careful due to the
hierarchical nature of their society.  Examples of these intricacies
are cited, even including punctuation marks.  Emojis also function as
tone indicators, and the use specifically of the newer invention, tone
tags, is discussed.  One section of the chapter explains the stickers
on WeChat, a hugely popular messaging platform in China.  These
stickers are creative and customizable, and users curate their own
collections of them.  The chapter next delves into emojis as
generational emblems, symbols of specific subcultural groups, and
badges representing fandom.  Specifically, fans of the Korean pop
bands BTS and EXO use specific emojis, creating unity and in-group
status.  Similarly, emojis can be shared as jokes representing
knowledge shared only by members of a particular group or fandom, and
the examples used in this chapter are anime and vtuber fandoms.
Chapter 10
The final chapter is “Vision for the Future,” and this one begins by
drawing a parallel between the new type of speech created in George
Orwell’s 1984 and the new type of speech we now experience with the
addition of emojis to our communication. Both include methods for
simplifying language and grammar.  This last chapter reiterates the
idea that emoji speak is a whole new linguistic category and not some
passing trend.  Its future is uncertain, and will require more study
as emoji use evolves, which it certainly will.  Its full implications
are unknown, but wide ranging.  The pandemic is also cited as a game
changer in the way we have flocked to online communication tools which
almost all include emojis.  The author restates her purpose in writing
this book, which is essentially to advocate for emoji linguistics to
have its own space in the field and inspire others to be curious and
conduct further research on this growing and important subfield.
EVALUATION
Overall, the book, “Emoji Speak,” by Jieun Kiaer, is a valuable
addition to the literature available on this new topic of emoji
linguistics.  She accomplishes her goal of stressing the importance of
emojis as communication tools and the idea that these are much more
than just a passing fad.  She cites a wide variety of studies and
examples to support these ideas, and her arguments about the
uniqueness and complexities of emojis are persuasive and
well-supported.
The author also discusses cultural implications and the issues of
representation in emojis.  There are many examples in the book of the
ways in which emoji use and interpretation can vary widely depending
on who is sending or receiving the message.  These are excellent
points, and they are explained well, with the only disappointing
aspect being the small number of cultures and countries discussed.
There is a lot of American and Asian representation in the book, but
not many examples of others, though there are some.  However, this
book does open the door for a future text covering emoji use all over
the world in more depth.
Additionally, the author herself admits that this is a rapidly
changing field--such is the nature of technology--so much more
research and support for emoji linguistics will be needed. I think she
makes compelling arguments that this will be a valuable pursuit, as
understanding communication now includes online and smartphone
communication, including emojis.
The book is also well-organized, broken into ten short chapters, each
containing titled subsections.  This makes it easy to follow, and the
reader can clearly understand how each smaller piece fits into the
bigger picture of the chapter and text.
The audience for this book is mainly linguists, but it is extremely
approachable to readers outside the field as well.  The book’s
language is often formal, but conversational, and anyone can
understand and find value in it.  The fact that it includes pop
culture references and modern day political and social concerns makes
it even more relatable to just about anyone seeking to read it and
learn more about ‘emoji speak.’ Overall, it is an informative and
interesting text providing some new information, compelling arguments
for the further study of emojis, and ideas for the future of this new
field.
REFERENCES
Emoji Speak, by Jieun Kiaer
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Jean Danic is an English for Academic Purposes Instructor at
Hillsborough Community College.  She enjoys keeping herself up to date
on the latest linguistics research and using it to continuously refine
her teaching practices for her second language learners.



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