An Exploration of Emoji Characters as used in WhatsApp Chat Messages: A Semiotic Approach

Abstract

The overall goal of this study is to describe how emoji has been characterized as a new form of
online language by examining its linguistic elements and communicative functions. The first
motivation of the research lies in the observation that despite growing significance of emoji as a
variable in WhatsApp messaging, there has yet been little attempt by linguists to describe in depth
its characters as form of possible online written language. The data was collected through the use
of extensive desk research especially on how emojis were being used by people. This desk
research involved gathering data (emoji texts) mainly from WhatsApp social media platform. The
qualitative data was used to compare responses from different respondents where researcher then
set out to objectively collect data and carry out the research. The data was categorizing the
emojis as used in code and brevity; facials for words, hands and body parts for words and
sentences, container for content, instrument for product, non-verbal prosody, emoji and
illocutionary force and expression of redundancy. The findings of the study; Emojis provide
sufficient paralinguistic features in written language and Emojis are not grammar adequate where
many respondents positively used emoji’s in expressing different context of communication
WhatsApp messages