This module introduces students to the concept of multimodality in digital communication, focusing on the interaction between text and emojis. Through three interconnected units, students will explore how emojis enhance meaning, convey emotion, and influence meaning in digital messages. By examining the linguistic principles behind multimodal communication, this module aims to improve digital literacy, and equip students with practical skills for interpreting and using emojis effectively in diverse contexts. Activities include analysing real-world examples, discussing implications, and creating their own multimodal messages.
Skills: language skills (reading/writing), communication skills, (social) media skills
Level: 3-4
Lessons required: 3
Student preparation necessary? No
Interdisciplinary connections: –
Further Reading
Jucker, Andreas H., Heiko Hausendorf, Christa Dürscheid, Karina Frick, Christoph Hottiger, Wolfgang Kesselheim, Angelika Linke, Nathalie Meyer, and Antonia Steger. 2018. « Doing Space in Face-to-Face Interaction and on Interactive Multimodal Platforms. » Journal of Pragmatics 134: 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2018.07.001.
This article explores how people construct and shape space during interactions, a process called « doing space. » In face-to-face communication, spaces are categorised as highly structured (e.g., lecture halls), moderately structured (e.g., restaurants), or weakly structured (e.g., town squares), based on how much they guide interaction. The concept is extended to multimodal platforms (IMP), where interaction is more complex due to navigating multiple spatial levels, including physical screens and virtual spaces, making « doing space » more challenging.
Merten, Marie-Luis. 2022. « Ritualisierte Anschlusskommunikation auf Instagram. » Deutsche SpracheNovember. https://doi.org/10.37307/j.1868-775X.2022.04.03.
This article analyzes follow-up communication on Instagram posts about body image, focusing on 29,373 comments and a smaller subset of 4,668. Using sociolinguistic and media-linguistic frameworks, it examines multimodal compliments and responses, combining text and emojis. The study reveals that these interactions are formulaic and ritualized, serving to strengthen group membership within Instagram communities.
Yus, Francisco. 2011. Cyberpragmatics: Internet-Mediated Communication in Context. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.213.
The book shows how people communicate online and how context and technology affect meaning. It uses pragmatic theories to explain how users adapt language and interpret messages in digital settings, focusing on relevance, implicit meanings, and the role of technology in communication.
Clark, Billy. 2013. Relevance Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139028370.
Billy Clark’s Relevance Theory introduces relevance theory developed by Sperber and Wilson, a theory of communication and cognition that explains how people understand meaning by focusing on relevance. It shows how speakers and listeners interpret messages using context and cognitive effort to derive intended meanings, even when those meanings are not explicitly stated.
Pierini, Francesca. 2021. « Emojis and Gestures: A New Typology. » Proceedings of Sinn Und Bedeutung 25: 720–732. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2021.v25i0.963.
This paper looks at emojis and gestures, trying to classify them in a new way by comparing how they are similar and different. It focuses on how both are used to help communication and add meaning, even though they work in different ways. Emojis and gestures are shown as tools that go along with words to make interactions clearer and more expressive. The study highlights how these forms of expression can help people understand each other better by adding extra meaning to what is being said.
