A new language?
PhD Student Hibah Aladsani is currently researching students’ educational practices on social media; here she shares her reflections on the emergence of the emoji.
In his fictional work 1984, George Orwell talked about a new language invented by the government; Oceania’s 11th edition of the dictionary aims to reduce the number of words in language. For example, there is no need for a word like excellent because we have good. Therefore, it is enough to use good and add very for emphasis. This is, as Orwell describes, the destruction of words.
In Orwell’s book, the problem lay in the reduction of the number of words. However, what would have been Orwell’s opinion if he had heard about the replacement of words with symbols, like the language of emoji? 😀😒
This language, which was created by Shigetaka Kurita in Japan, has become a universal language that every user of mobile devices understands, regardless of nationality. Six billion daily messages use at least one of the symbols of this language.
As a result, there is no need to write a sentence like ‘that is funny’ because it is sufficient to use the symbol 😂; likewise, you do not express your sadness (‘I am sad’) because the symbol 😔 can successfully express your feelings in every language.
It is odd is that some companies have started using this language in advertising; for example, I have seen a cooking account dedicated to desserts on Instagram that asked followers to choose an emoji for a dessert, for example, 🍪 🍮, and the account would provide a delicious recipe.
Nevertheless, the important question is whether the present spoken or written languages will disappear one day. Will we go back to the days of the Stone Age in which graphics are our language instead of words?
Language may look different in the future, however there may be exceptions: due to the preservation of the Quran (“We who have sent down the Dhikr [the Quran] and surely we will guard it [from corruption]” — Al-Hijr verse 9), the Arabic language is also promised to be preserved because it is the language of the holy book.
Our Research
Hibah Aladsani is currently studying for a PhD in the School of Education. Her thesis is about students’ educational practices in Twitter.
This study aims to explore the female Saudi university students’ perceptions and use of Twitter for educational purpose, how and why students use it. And to investigate the impact of Twitter on the students’ self-presentation practices.
Hibah is employed as a lecturer in King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia.
Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn to see educational infographics based on her research.
