Emoji in dialogue with images

A multimodal social semiotic approach

Bibliographic Data

ID22341977
AuthorsCecilia Lazzeretti (0000-0002-0415-9129, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume16
Issue1
Pages8-29
Publication date2026-01-26
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage and Dialogue (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2210-4119 • E-ISSN: 2210-4127
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/ld.00211.laz
OpenAlexW4414614682
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited21

This paper explores the visual nature of emoji and their potential to co-create meaning when in dialogue with other visual semiotic resources, such as images, paintings, videos, and photographs. Drawing on a multimodal social semiotic framework and studies that emphasise the independent meaning-making capabilities of visual communication, it challenges the traditional view that emoji are merely paralinguistic elements dependent on verbal co-texts. The study analyses a corpus of art museum social media posts, highlighting instances of intermodal convergence between the shared images and emoji used in the captions. This analysis reveals formal and semantic dialogic relations, showcasing how emoji can function as independent semiotic resources, capable of establishing meaningful interactions with other visual elements

Conversation · Dialogic · Emoji · Iconicity · Multimodality · Ostensive definition · Paralanguage · Semiotics · Digital Communication and Language · Linguistic research and analysis · Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity

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