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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · ADVANCED (C1-C2)

EMOJIS

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1 Warm up

Look at these emojis and write what you think they mean and when you would use them. After that
answer the following questions.

1. Compare ideas in pairs or small groups. How many meanings do you agree on?
2. How often do you use these emojis?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using emojis in general?

picture A picture B picture C picture D picture E

picture A:

picture B:

picture C:

picture D:

picture E:

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2 Reading comprehension

Part A: You are going to read an article about emojis (page three). First, you have a couple of minutes
to skim the text. Then answer the following questions.

1. What is the central question the writer is asking?

2. What three main topics are included in the article?

3. How does the writer answer the central question?

4. Use emojis to write the missing subtitle.

Part B: Complete the gaps in the article with the correct form of the verb in brackets. You may need
to change the word form (for example to a noun or adjective) and in two cases, you need to add a
negative prefix to the word.

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Emojis – enough already?

...
A. They started out in the 1980s as emoticons, little cartoons you could create using your keyboard symbols – just
a bit of fun to add to your messages. In the 1990s, software developer Shigetaka Kurita took these a step further
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when he created 176 icons for a Japanese phone company showing easily (RELATE)
subjects like faces, food and weather. Now, a good thirty years later, there are well over three thousand different
emojis available, and they’ve become a worldwide phenomenon with an independent existence as merchandise
(poo emoji pillow, anyone?) and even a feature film. In 2015, the popular "Face with Tears of Joy" emoji was even
named the Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries. But could we have reached peak emoji? To answer this
question, we need to consider a number of issues.

B. First of all, emojis have a unique ability to reflect wider trends in what is now, for the first time in human history,
a global communication culture. Skin colour is a case in point. The first people icons were yellow, like the
characters in the popular cartoon The Simpsons. This may have been a deliberate attempt to represent characters
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of (DETERMINE) race, and the colour yellow may have been chosen for its
positive and cheerful associations. Some have even suggested that there is a direct line of descent from the iconic
yellow 1960s smiley face to these early representations. However, in 2014 other skin colours were made available
for the first time in response to public demands for greater diversity. These have since been followed by icons
representing disabled and non-binary people, as well as same-sex couples.
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C. Although on the surface this (INCLUDE) seems completely positive, one
commentator has pointed out that the disabled icons were included at the request of technology giant Apple,
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rather than in response to public campaigning. This is a complete (REVERSE)
of the situation in 2016 when Apple changed their realistic gun emoji to a jokey water pistol as a direct result of
pressure from the public. Other providers followed suit in 2018. These examples raise interesting questions about
the relationship between technology companies and users in determining what can be represented in messages
and how.

D. In fact, users have assigned secret meanings to items as innocent-looking as the aubergine or peach to discuss
certain topics that aren’t actually, so to speak, on the menu. The use of what is, in effect, a secret code to refer to
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(SANCTION) topics is, in practice, perhaps more confusing than controversial. Parents
around the world may be shocked to discover what their young people are really talking about (hint – not fruit and
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veg), but, after all, this type of major generation gap centred around technology is a
(RECUR) theme in modern life.

E. And while some are concerned about the content, others complain that the use of emojis is actually leading to a
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(DETERIORATE) in communication skills, especially in professional contexts. Is it
really possible to take someone seriously in a business relationship when their messages are peppered with little
faces? Communication experts draw parallels between emojis in written messages and gestures in speech; both
exist to increase clarity, often by adding emphasis, whether it’s adding a cake emoji to a Happy Birthday message
or a "top" icon to signal a good idea, or even using a hand clap between every word in a message to indicate a
tone of voice or register.

F. And people love emojis. 90% of us use them, and many believe that doing so results in benefits including
making it easier to express ourselves, communicating more successfully across language barriers and increasing
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(EMPATHISE). There continues to be positive engagement with new emojis, as
well as with assigning new meanings to those that already exist. So, have we reached peak emoji? On reflection,
it seems unlikely that something so widely seen as a tool for creating unity, respect and understanding is going to
fade away.

Sources: CNN, Britannica, The Conversation

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3 Language in context

Explain what these phrases in bold from the article mean and answer the last question.

1. Skin colour is a case in point.

2. Some have even suggested that there is a direct line of descent from the iconic yellow 1960s
smiley face to these early representations.

3. Other providers followed suit in 2018.

4. Is it really possible to take someone seriously in a business relationship when their messages are
peppered with little faces?

5. Communication experts draw parallels between emojis in written messages and gestures in speech;
both exist to increase clarity, often by adding emphasis ...

6. Can you find three examples of informal humour or wordplay in the article?

4 Talking point

Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Which new emojis have you welcomed, or would you welcome?

2. Why do you think people asked for the gun emoji to be replaced by a water pistol? To what extent
do you agree with this move?
3. Do you agree that emojis are leading to a decline in people’s communication skills? Why/why not?
4. What guidance do you think workplaces should offer employees about using emojis in company
messaging?
5. Can you think of any other examples of emojis or other technology revealing a generation gap?

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5 Emojis messages

Work in A/B pairs. Look at the correct part of the worksheet.

Student A

Read one half of your messaging dialogue and complete the other half BUT you can only
use emojis. You can draw as many emojis as you want in each box to supply half of the
conversation.

A B

I’m having such a bad day.

Same here. My boss just asked me to stay

late.

I know, I’m very annoyed. I was looking

forward to walking my dog.

Not even a coffee break?

I need a new job!

Compare your dialogues and explain your choice of emojis. How effective are emojis in communicating
ideas?

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Student B

Read one half of your messaging dialogue and complete the other half BUT you can only
use emojis. You can draw as many emojis as you want in each box to supply half of the
conversation.

A B

Me too. It’s crazy busy here at work.

Again? That’s the third time this week.

Well, we didn’t even get to have lunch

today.

I grabbed a coffee and a snack, but I only

had 5 minutes.

I need a vacation!

Compare your dialogues and explain your choice of emojis. How effective are emojis in communicating
ideas?

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6 Optional extension/homework

Part A: Look at this infographic and decide if the sentences are true or false.

1. Italians and Germans differed slightly only in the way they used positive emojis.

2. In the US, there was no difference between Spanish speakers and English speakers in terms of
how they used emojis.

3. The French used more than four times as many heart emojis as the average person in the countries
that were surveyed.

Part B: Now, answer the following questions.

1. Can you explain any of these differences?

2. If you come from one of these countries, do you agree? If you don’t come from one of these
countries, create a graphic showing how you think people in your country use emojis.
3. Extra challenge: write three more true/false sentences about this information for a classmate to
try.

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