Linguistic Remodelling and Socio-cultural Transformation with Emoji Discourse Practices in Social Media in Malawi

Linguistic Remodelling and Socio-cultural Transformation with Emoji Discourse Practices in Social Media in Malawi

Dr Thokozani Eunice Kunkeyani
Isaac Magaleta
Malawi Adventist University
kunkeyanithoko@gmail.com

Received January 28, 2020; Revised March 17, 2020; Accepted March 19, 2020

Abstract: This paper explores the linguistic transformation of written format of language, a global transformation. Interest is in both the novel linguistic expressions and the diversity of the use of symbols replacing linguistic word expressions. The emergence of Emoji commonly used in social media system of communication has completely replaced the ‘normal’ way of communicating, the use of words. Thus, symbols have been recontextualised and ‘repurposed’ (Bolter and Grusin, 2000; Prior and Hengst, 2010) the word forms for communication. The study used 36 participants of which 20 were students: 8 boys, 12 and 16 community people to interpret the proverbs. The intension is to show how
Emoji has been localized and adopted as a mode of communication. For instance, Emoji has been used to express proverbs in CiCewa as (i) Kandimverele anakanena za mmaluwa a proverb which means ‘a gossiper does not say the truth’, now 🏃 👂 🗣 🌹; (ii) nkhonya yobwezera kuwawa/mutu ukakula sulewa nkhonya ‘a repeat bad act is painful/ when you are old you cannot run away from problems’ = 👊😣👊. This innovative technique of transmitting messages
has come because of technology. The implication of the usage of emoji is the commodification of language as semiotic resources and symbolic discourse practice in communication skills. This mode of communication has, concurrently, brought excitement and confusion (see ii) above. The paper thus concludes with a thesis on blurring boundary between different interpretations of emoji, which has become a culture on social media leading translocal mobility of quick messaging system resulting in hybridized discursive communicative practices. The paper recommends that every company that creates emojis should provide intended meaning so that interpretation is uniform.