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EMOJIS

C1 activities

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39 views4 pages

EMOJIS

C1 activities

Uploaded by

laila
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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“EMOJIS”

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?

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.
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 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 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.

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, 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 _________ (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
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 _____________ (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 ___________ (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.

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?
5 Emojis messages
Work in A/B pairs. Look at the correct part of the worksheet.

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

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