British Council

With over a thousand emoji pictures to represent our words， let’s take a closer look at this fast-growing language.

According to Professor Vyv Evans of Bangor University， Emoji is the UK’s fastest-growing language – evolving faster than any language in history. These little electronic images started life in Japanese mobile phones in the 90s and are now hugely popular.

Why do we love them so much？

We really seem to ‘big red heart’ emojis！ But why？ They allow us to personalise text and have fun and make people laugh. Teenagers also told us that emojis are quick and easy. The emojis we choose can reflect our personality.

Diversity and representation

Emojis do not always represent the people that use them. However， after many years of public campaigning， things are changing. Instead of just cartoon-yellow people and faces， we now have the option for five different skin colours. There is also now a redhead emoji， by popular demand， and a woman wearing a headscarf， after German teenager Rayouf Alhumedhi campaigned for an emoji to represent her.

The future of emojis

What is the future of emojis？ They are already shaping social media as existing and new platforms evolve to incorporate and respond to their use. Is emoji evolving so rapidly that it will soon compete with English as a global language？ Or is technology changing so fast that emojis will soon be forgotten when the next big thing comes along？ It is hard to predict and even technology and language experts are divided on the subject. What do you think？ Keep your eyes open for new developments！

Activity - Multiple choice

Circle the best answer.

1. Emoji ...

a. has more symbols than there are words in the English language.

b. is developing faster than any other language.

c. is still at a very basic stage.

2. Teenagers say emojis help them ...

a. express their personalities and be creative.

b. tell stories in a funny way.

c. save time and effort.

3. The author suggests that the emojis you use most ...

a. can reflect your personality.

b. change quickly with your mood.

c. are strongly influenced by your friends.

4. A German teenager has successfully campaigned to add an emoji ...

a. woman with red hair.

b. woman with her hair covered.

c. woman who is boxing.

5. The author suggests that ...

a. emojis will become more important than English.

b. it is difficult to know what will happen with emojis in the future.

c. the current excitement over emojis will not last long.

Write about it！

Are emojis the new global language or will they soon be forgotten？ Write your ideas below.

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Answers

Activity

1. b; 2. c; 3. a; 4. b; 5. b