Dialogue 2.0: emojis and politeness on WhatsApp
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.9.18.7Keywords:
emojis, linguistic politeness, WhatsApp, digital writing, positive image, Brown & LevinsonAbstract
This paper focuses on the use of emojis by so-called digital natives in interpersonal conversations on the WhatsApp messaging platform, based on the analysis of six focus groups conducted with 27 participants in total, between 18 and 26 years old, in Argentina. Framed in the politeness theory of Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987), the contribution of this work is to show that emojis enhance the positive image of the speaker, by opening, maintaining or closing the communication channel in a friendly and informal way (i.e., to also fulfill the phatic function of language) and thus cooperating in the construction of the discursive image; they contribute to the positive politeness of the exchange, and highlight the degree of intimacy (always close to zero and blocking the imposition of power) between participants.
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