Faculty of Arts in the Media: Jon Orman and Brook Bolander Commented on "word of the year" emoji of Oxford Dictionaries

Jon Orman and Brook Bolander, assistant professors in the School of English of the Factulty of Arts, were interviewed by South China Morning Post on Oxford Dictionaries' pick of "word of the year", namely the "face with tears of joy" emoji. By quoting the two scholars, SCMP writes that "[Oxford Dictionaries'] decision is a recognition that the definition of language and the way we communicate is changing and expanding."

"People are not using fewer words, it's a matter that pictures are now integrated smoothly and creatively into the text language we use," said Dr Jon Orman, an assistant professor of English linguistics at the University of Hong Kong.

"It's a really good example of how language expands as different communication technology makes more things possible."

Dr Brook Bolander, an assistant professor in the university's school of English, suggested that the "face with tears of joy" emoji was chosen because it reflected the idea of "laughing out loud" or "lol", and has a strong emotional intensity.

Please click on the following link for the full article: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1879981/lol-war-words-erupts-over-whether-oxford-dictionaries-should-name