TY - JOUR
T1 - Functions of the nonverbal in CMC
T2 - Emoticons and illocutionary force
AU - Dresner, Eli
AU - Herring, Susan C.
PY - 2010/8
Y1 - 2010/8
N2 - The term "emoticons" -short for "emotion icons" -refers to graphic signs, such as the smiley face, that often accompany computer-mediated textual communication. They are most often characterized as iconic indicators of emotion, conveyed through a communication channel that is parallel to the linguistic one. In this article, it is argued that this conception of emoticons fails to account for some of their important uses. We present a brief outline of speech act theory and use it to provide a complementary account of emoticons, according to which they also function as indicators of illocutionary force. We conclude by considering how our analysis bears upon broader questions concerning language, bodily behavior, and text.
AB - The term "emoticons" -short for "emotion icons" -refers to graphic signs, such as the smiley face, that often accompany computer-mediated textual communication. They are most often characterized as iconic indicators of emotion, conveyed through a communication channel that is parallel to the linguistic one. In this article, it is argued that this conception of emoticons fails to account for some of their important uses. We present a brief outline of speech act theory and use it to provide a complementary account of emoticons, according to which they also function as indicators of illocutionary force. We conclude by considering how our analysis bears upon broader questions concerning language, bodily behavior, and text.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954847981&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.01362.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.01362.x
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AN - SCOPUS:77954847981
SN - 1050-3293
VL - 20
SP - 249
EP - 268
JO - Communication Theory
JF - Communication Theory
IS - 3
ER -