EMOJI

Unit 15

EMOJI

emoji /iˈməʊ.dʒi/noun [ C ] -plural emoji or emojis

a digital image that is added to

a message in electronic 

communication in order to express 

a particular idea or feeling

Ex. He responded with a red heart emoji.

Word watch

• critic

• gesture

• hieroglyphs

• literature

• poem

• supporter

Ex. -The play has been well received by the critics.

- Annie's the film critic for the local 

radio station, so she's got a free 

pass for all the cinemas in the area.

critic /ˈkrɪt.ɪk/noun [ C ]

- someone who says that they do not approve of someone or something

- someone whose job is to give their opinion about something, especially films, books, music, etc.

gesture /ˈdʒes.tʃər/ noun [ C ]

a movement of the hands, arms, or head, etc. to express an idea or feeling

Ex. The taxi driver made a rude gesture as he overtook us.

hieroglyph /ˈhaɪə.rəˌɡlɪf/ noun [ C ]

a picture or symbol that represents a word, used in some writing systems, such as the one used in ancient Egypt

Ex. The meanings of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs were unknown until the 19th century.

literature /ˈlɪt.rə.tʃər/ noun [ U ]

written artistic works, especially those with a high and lasting 

artistic value

Ex. He's very knowledgeable 

about German literature.

poem /ˈpəʊ.ɪm/ noun [ C ]

a piece of writing in which the words are arranged in separate lines, often 

ending in rhyme, and are chosen for their sound and for the images 

and ideas they suggest

Ex. My father can still recite the poems he learned off by heart at school.

supporter /səˈpɔː.tər/ noun [ C ]

- someone who supports a particular idea, group, or person

- someone who wants a particular team to win 

and might show it by going to watch the team play

Ex. - He is one of the president's 

strongest supporters within industry.

- Thousands of supporters have travelled to London for the cup final.

Multiple Choice

• gesture

• poem

• critic

• supporter

Multiple Choice

• hieroglyphs

• poem

• critic

• literature

Multiple Choice

• supporter

• poem

• critic

• literature

Multiple Choice

• supporter

• gesture

• critic

• literature

Multiple Choice

• supporter

• gesture

• hieroglyphs

• literature

Multiple Choice

• supporter

• gesture

• hieroglyphs

• poem

Reading time

Emoji - the cartoon symbols that communicate our feelings in messages - were designed in Japan in the late 1990s. Many people think their name is connected to the English word "emotion", but that's not true. In Japanese e means "picture" and moji means "character".

While the most common emoji are faces, smartphone sets usually include gestures, animals, food, flags and everyday items. Some people have written poems using these symbols, and even translated great works of literature into emoji! Look at the following sentence. What do you think the sender meant to say?

Supporters of emoji say they are a universal language that everyone can understand. However, critics worry that humans are going back in time (thousands of years ago, the Egyptians wrote hieroglyphs). They think we will become less intelligent if we use pictures, not words, to communicate.

These negative opinions are unlikely to stop us using emoji; they are already too popular. In France, 71% of people send emoji every single day! The word "emoji" was added to the English dictionary in 2013, and it was voted the most important word of the year in 2015. New characters are being created all the time. Emoji also led to the development of stickers for Facebook, Line and other apps.