{"id":6786,"date":"2024-04-05T15:37:39","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T14:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icertpublication.com\/?page_id=6786"},"modified":"2026-03-09T08:01:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:31:01","slug":"is-emoji-a-universal-language","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/edu-mania\/edumania-vol-02-issue-02\/is-emoji-a-universal-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Emoji a Universal Language?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Vol-02, Issue-02 (April - June 2024)<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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An International scholarly\/ academic journal, peer-reviewed\/ refereed journal, ISSN : 2960-0006<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Is Emoji a Universal Language?<\/span><\/p>

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Ozioma J., Okey-Kalu<\/span><\/p>

English Unit, General Studies Department, Federal School of Statistics, Enugu<\/span><\/p>

ORCID \u2013 0009-0009-3671-4834<\/span><\/p>

Okechukwu, Okorie<\/span><\/p>

English Unit, General Studies Department, Federal School of Statistics, Manchok, Kaduna<\/span><\/p>

Nneka U., Nweke<\/span><\/p>

English Unit, General Studies Department, Federal School of Statistics, Enugu<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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DOI:\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.59231\/edumania\/9040<\/span><\/a><\/p>

Page Number:\u00a0pp. 97-108<\/span><\/p>

Subject:\u00a0Emoji Studies, Digital Communication, Linguistics, Semiotics, Universal Language, Computer-Mediated Communication, Language and Culture<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Received:\u00a011 February 2024<\/span><\/p>

Accepted:\u00a015 March 2024<\/span><\/p>

Published:\u00a001 April 2024<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Thematic Classification:\u00a0Arts & Humanities: Linguistics & Semiotics; Social Sciences: Digital Communication & Media Studies<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Abstract<\/span><\/p>

The invention of the internet and digital communication channels has made it possible for people in different parts of the world to interact without geographic restrictions. Nevertheless, people from different speech communities may encounter communication barriers as a result of their language differences. The invention of emojis, which are perceived as a universal language, is believed to bridge the communication gap between individuals of different languages. To find out how effective emojis are in communication, the findings of four empirical studies, which investigated the use of emojis in communication, were collected and analysed qualitatively. The present study was anchored on Sonja Foss’s Theory of Visual Rhetoric, which posits that visuals must communicate effectively and accurately to their audience before they can be identified and described as communicative. The findings of this study, however, showed that while emojis can trigger the emotions of readers, they may fail to communicate effectively to them. Based on these findings, it was concluded that emojis may not be an effective tool in cross border interactions.<\/span><\/p>

Keywords:<\/span> Emojis, cross boarder communication, visual rhetoric.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Impact Statement<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Emojis are tiny images used in digital communication platforms, such as social media, emails, and short message services (SMS). People from different cultures use them to exchange messages. In most cases, these communication participants fail to consider the cultural background of other parties in the communication event. This means they may use emojis to deliver messages that have different meanings to different individuals as a result of what the concept represented by the image means in different cultures. After examining the findings of four research works, which studied the use and interpretation of emojis, this study has affirmed that messages delivered with emojis can deliver different meanings to different individuals as a result of their socio-cultural backgrounds and experiences. As a result, it concludes that emojis are not universal language because their meanings are conventional and affected by context.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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About Author\/s<\/span><\/p>

Ozioma J<\/span>. Okey-Kalu<\/span><\/p>

Ozioma J. Okey-Kalu is a staff of the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria, but she serves the country as a lecturer of English at Federal School of Statistics, Enugu, Nigeria. She is currently studying her doctorate degree in English at University of Nigeria Nsukka. Her research interests include Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, Rhetoric, and Semiotics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Okechukwu Okorie<\/span><\/p>

Okechukwu Okorie is a staff of National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria, who also serves as a lecturer of English at Federal School of Statistics, Manchok, Kaduna State, Nigeria. He is also studying his doctorate degree in English at University of Nigeria Nsukka. His research interests are phonetics and phonology of the English language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Nneka U. Nweke<\/span><\/p>

Nneka Nweke is also a staff of National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria, who serve as a lecturer of English at Federal School of Statistics, Enugu, Nigeria. She has research interest in teaching and learning English as a second language.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Cite this Article<\/span><\/p>

APA (7th ed.):<\/span>\u00a0Ozioma J., O.-K., Okechukwu, O., & Nneka U., N. (2024). Is Emoji a Universal Language?\u00a0<\/span>Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal<\/span>,\u00a02(2), 97\u2013108.\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.59231\/edumania\/9040<\/span><\/a><\/p>

Chicago (17th ed.):<\/span>\u00a0Ozioma J., Okey-Kalu, Okorie Okechukwu, and Nweke Nneka U. “Is Emoji a Universal Language?”\u00a0<\/span>Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal<\/span>\u00a02, no. 2 (2024): 97\u2013108.\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.59231\/edumania\/9040<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

MLA (9th ed.):<\/span>\u00a0Ozioma J., Okey-Kalu, et al. “Is Emoji a Universal Language?”\u00a0<\/span>Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal<\/span>, vol. 2, no. 2, 2024, pp. 97\u2013108.\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.59231\/edumania\/9040<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

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Statements & Declarations<\/span><\/p>

Peer Review:<\/span>\u00a0The scholarly merit and contribution of this linguistic analysis of emoji as a potential universal language have been confirmed through a rigorous and independent peer-review process conducted by experts in the relevant disciplines.<\/span><\/p>

Review Type:<\/span>\u00a0This article underwent a double-blind peer review, a process in which the identities of the authors (Okey-Kalu Ozioma J., Okorie Okechukwu, and Nweke Nneka U.) and the reviewers were mutually concealed. The review was conducted by subject experts in linguistics, semiotics, digital communication, and language studies.<\/span><\/p>

Competing Interests:<\/span>\u00a0The authors, Okey-Kalu Ozioma J., Okorie Okechukwu, and Nweke Nneka U., jointly and individually declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.<\/span><\/p>

Data Availability:<\/span>\u00a0This manuscript is a conceptual and analytical paper based on linguistic theory and digital communication literature. It does not present primary empirical research data. All sources, including scholarly works and examples of emoji usage, are cited within the article.<\/span><\/p>

Funding:<\/span>\u00a0This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The work was completed using the authors’ institutional resources at the Federal School of Statistics, Enugu and Manchok, and personal scholarly efforts.<\/span><\/p>

License:<\/span>\u00a0This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 International License. This license permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Ethical Approval:<\/span>\u00a0Ethical approval was not required for this study, as it is a conceptual and analytical paper based on linguistic analysis and did not involve the collection of data from, or experimentation on, human subjects or animals. The work adheres to the highest standards of academic integrity and research ethics in linguistic and communication research.<\/span><\/p>

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    Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal Vol-02, Issue-02 (April – June 2024) An International scholarly\/ academic journal, peer-reviewed\/ refereed journal, ISSN : 2960-0006 Is Emoji a Universal Language? \u00a0 Ozioma J., Okey-Kalu English Unit, General Studies Department, Federal School of Statistics, Enugu ORCID \u2013 0009-0009-3671-4834 Okechukwu, Okorie English Unit, General Studies Department, Federal School of Statistics, Manchok, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6692,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"postBodyCss":"","postBodyMargin":[],"postBodyPadding":[],"postBodyBackground":{"backgroundType":"classic","gradient":""},"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6786","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6786"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29544,"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6786\/revisions\/29544"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icert.org.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}