Number of Posts: 8
Posts 1 - 8
Mit dem Selfiestick im Späti rumeiern
(Egging around at the deli with the selfie stick)
Newspaper | Tages-Anzeiger
Date | 9.8.2017
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | anglicisms, artificial intelligence, emojis, Facebook, fake news, language threat, selfie
Summary | The new German dictionary "Duden" has added 5000 new key words, many of which are originally English. Now, having been included in the most authoritative dictionary in German language, they are officially part of the German language as anglicisms. Such words include fake news, emoji, selfie, chatbot, and liking ("liken" in German with the English word stem "like" and the German infinitive verb ending "-en").
Image Description | N/A
Das neue iMessage strapaziert die Nerven
(The new iMessage gets on my nerves)
Newspaper | Welt
Date | 15.9.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | emojis, language threat, texting, word/writing
Summary | The updated iMessage has tons of new functions. It suggests appropriate emojis to replace words of a message, it now has sticker packages like the Facebook Messenger and allows for text messages to be animated. Users can also send short handwritten Messages - that it if they can still write by hand. All of the updates combined make for a much more obnoxious iMessage service.
Image Description | Images of iPhones using iMessage.
Image Tags | smartphone
Jetzt kommt die Sticker-Schwemme
(The sticker flood is on its way)
Newspaper | Tages-Anzeiger
Date | 15.11.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | abbreviations, emojis, Facebook, language threat, marketing, social media
Summary | Emoticons (f.i. ":-D") and abbreviations (f.i. "LOL") have trickled down from "geek speak" and established themselves in the mainstream. Emojis are nowadays ever present in our digital communication as well as in other arenas such as film or advertising. Now various social media platforms, among them Facebook, offer users various palettes of stickers. They are larger versions of emojis and are sent as an image file rather than included on the keyboard as a letter. Because many sticker palettes need to be purchased, a whole economy is beginning to form: The Japanese messaging app Line has sold over $250 mio worth of stickers last year. We do not need to fear that emojis and co. will replace language as we know it.
Image Description | Commodified emojis in various forms (as balls, as tattoos, as bed sheets, as food, on clothing, as masks, etc.) and Facebook messenger chats using/purchasing sticker collections.
Image Tags | emojis, Facebook, male(s), social media
Eine literarische Revolution ;-)
(A literary revolution ;-))
Newspaper | Tages-Anzeiger
Date | 10.2.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | emojis, language threat, translation
Summary | Originating in the late 1990s in Japan, emojis have gained huge popularity worldwide. Some say they are destroying our language, others use emojis for poetic endeavors. Fred Benenson has for instance re-written the classic story of Moby Dick using emojis. The project was crowd funded and is called “Emoji Dick”. Apple has recently put into action an online petition calling for more ethnic diversity among emojis.
Image Description | Digital image representing 180 different emojis.
Image Tags | emojis
Viele, viele bunte Symbole
(Many, many colorful symbols)
Newspaper | St. Galler Tagblatt
Date | 15.10.2014
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, emojis, language threat, texting, What's up Switzerland
Summary | Emojis are frequently incorporated in text messages and are slightly addictive. Christa Dürscheid from ‘What’s Up, Switzerland?’ says that they are a must-have for ‘insiders' . Even older users are getting used to emojis since there is such a huge selection from which to choose. Emojis do however not replace written communication but serve to indicate emotions or add emphasis.
Image Description | Digital image of a chat bubble with words in German and emojis (beers and smiling face).
Image Tags | emojis, text
“Pic speech”: le parler ado
(“Pic speech": teen talk)
Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 30.5.2015
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook, language threat, selfie, Snapchat, social media, WhatsApp, youth
Summary | Nowadays teenagers mostly express themselves through visual modes (e.g. Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat) and thus create their own language: “pic speech”. Images do not necessarily replace words; young people claim that words are still important since they contextualize images. Regarding emojis, teenagers use them for their “affective” purpose. This new language is a way for youth to become autonomous and emancipate themselves.
Image Description | Series of screenshots of different teenagers' snaps (selfie + Face Paint feature).
Image Tags | male(s), Snapchat
Un retour aux hiéroglyphes?
(A return to hireoglyphics?)
Newspaper | Le Matin
Date | 24.4.2015
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | emojis, grammar, language threat
Summary | The use of emojis is a global phenomenon that is rapidly growing. Should we be worried about it? A linguist from the University of Zurich claims that it is almost like “a return to hieroglyphics”, but that “emoji” is not a language: there is no grammatical structure. The linguist also states that nowadays, “emojis replace words and are not just a complement”. However, linguists do not seem to be worried. Another linguist from the University of Lausanne talks about the advantages of such visual communication: it fosters creativity, and adds nuances and precisions.
Image Description | Digital image of a chart representing which emojis are used the most in the world.
Image Tags | chart, emojis
Les émojis, ces drôles de petites bêtes virtuelles
(Emojis, those funny little virtual creatures)
Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 6.2.2016
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | emojis, language threat, research/study, texting
Summary | Emojis are becoming a “global” phenomenon. For example, Facebook recently introduced a set of emojis, companies use them in their advertisement campaigns, and some people would like to create a “language” with emojis. Should we fear an impoverishment of “traditional languages”? Some linguists claim that emojis do not replace words but serve as complements in our communication. They can substitute a gesture or an intonation that we usually have in our oral exchanges. Another study concluded that text messages are not a threat to orthography, and that we have always used images to express ourselves.
Image Description | Digital image representing different emojis: sick emoji, cowboy emoji, tongue-out emoji, winking eye emoji etc.
Image Tags | emojis
Page 1 of 1