Symbol Intepretation In Digital Massaging – A Study On

Semantics And Discourse Analysis

Erna Dwinata
English Education Department of STKIP PGRI Tulungagung
ernadwinata1@gmail.com

Abstract
How if a language in digital messaging is presented without any symbols? Its
intended meaning will not be easily understood. Emoji are not so meaningful in email
massaging, but they give much contribution in social media massaging now. This can be
analysed on its languange. A text in digital massaging can have several interpretation if
it is uttered without any symbols or emoticons. This idea also lead us to think that one
symbol of emoticon in text massaging can have several interpretations based on the
context and also the social feature. Some cases show that miss interpretation will force to
create a deep hole on social relationship.Semantically symbol or emoticons give meaning
so that an utterance can be accepted in accordance with the speaker intended intent.
While in discourse, context helps the message to be interpreted correctly. The weakness
of written language is when the context is only a word or sentence before and after and
only a short chat. This article will also explain a case where an utterance will fai to be
interpreted without emoji. This article is semantics study which is considered as
discourse analysis. The discussion will more explain on how symbols and context play
important rule in creating an interpretation.

Key words : discourse analysis, digital messaging, emoji, interpretation

Introduction In the use of their own language, in digital

BBM and WhatsApp may generate noticeable
improvements in people lives (Sultan, 2014).
Who is in digital mesaging? In a conversation
that occurs in digital messaging, naturally these
language users have created their own groups
based on common interests. Some groups
simply exchange topics of interest about work,
hobbies, but in other case they are always
chatting about daily topics, jokes, tips or
information beyond that interest. Except for
groups whose members or speakers do not
know each other. It allows members of group to
feel more about it related to their friends,
familymembers, social issues, and surrounding
news (Harrison & Gilmore, 2012)
messaging whassap and blackberry messaging
exchange word, phrase, simple sentences, and
complex sentences up to several paragraphs.
Words and phrases are used when there is a
reciprocal conversation, and so do sentences.
But complex sentences and even paragraphs are
usually not in a conversation which need direct
reply continuously. Losing context often occur
when languages are exchanged in the form of
words, phrases or simple sentences only happen
in that situation. Losing this context can result
missinterpretation and misunderstanding.
The effect of misunderstanding in
interpreting the language is not simply felt
clearly by us. Especially when we interact using
text language. Recently, new mobile text
message technologies have changed
interpersonal interactions drastically by
enabling more text-based communication rather
than face-to-face encounters (Sultan, 2014). In
principle, a language is interpreted correctly if it
is known who the speaker is, who it is to talk to
and what the context is. Contextual
understanding has been discussed by Halliday
& Hasan (1985), Thornburry (2005). Context
analysis is very important in understanding an
utterance. Austin also (1962), emphasized the
significance of a speech act for linguistic
production and interpretation in the form of
socio-cultural. Conventions. This context
analysis runs automatically when we hear or
read a language until we can translate the
meaning of that language. One Language has
many meanings if the context fails to
understand.
The missinterpretation also occurs when the
speaker and the reader are blocked by the gab.
In the language of digital messaging gap is due
to the absence of intonation and expression.
Figure 1
The figure 1 contains about one member`s
posting in a group of chatting. This group
consists of academics. This group is formed for
sharing places related to social gathering.
Suddenly there was a member (woman A) who
posts an announcement. It is said that there will
be BRIMOB anniveresary, therefore
elementary students are asked to welcome the
event by gathering and carrying small flags.
The message of this post is that the children are
asked to bring the flag. One member responded
to this post with a chat below:
Figure 2.
This response comes from a friend (B). She
is the woman`s (A) friend who knows exactly
about the social background of the woman A.
The friend (B) asks "who's being asked to carry
a flag" with emotionally fever faces. Then she
asked again "are they students of our campus
too?" She asks if the students are also required
to carry the flag. She add her chat with crying
emoticons. From the above statement , other
members may will think that friend B is really
asks or she is just joking to remind the woman
that she has posted to a wrong group. And the
meaning of her utterance can create two
interpretation. The first is, the other members of
the group can interpret the second symbol of
the emoticon and assume that friend (B) really
does not understand that the woman (A) send
the post to a wrong group. While the second
and the correct meaning is the friend (B) is
really sad because the woman has posted an
announcement to the wrong group. We can
conclude that not everyone can interpret the
meaning of the language of the co-text only.
Co-text here is the language that is exchanged
before or after the utterance appears.
Context in Digital Massaging
When the language is spoken in a social
media conversation then the listener already
knows the language context. but the language
loses some context elements which are formed
the meaning. It is because there are not
expression and intonation. Kiesler, Siegel, and
McGuire (1984) observed that traditional forms
of communication, head nods, smiles, eye
contacts, distance, tone of voice, and other
nonverbal behaviors, and modify and control
exchanges. Electronic communication may be
inefficient for resolving such. . . problems. (p
1125).

Is the context in digital messaging complete?

Nowadays social media becomes the medium
where language is exchanged. But the exchange
of this text sometimes does not adequately
represent the message that the speaker is trying
to address. Because the context is incomplete. It
is because of the absence of expression and
intonation. Context is bound up with
assumptions used by hearers to interpret
utterances, and all interpretive efforts are made
on the basis of the relevance of given
assumptions. As halliday explains that a clear
context analysis leads to an understanding of
Figure 3.
the true meaning of message language. Halliday
divides the context into 3 kinds (Halliday,
1985);( Hymes): context of culture, context of
situation and co-text. Context of situation is
devided into 3 parts, those are field, tenor and
mode. Field covers what is going on, to the
nature of social action that is taking place, tenor
refers to who is in the language, their status and
their role, and the relationships involved. While
mode refers to the role of the language. The role
of language means that what the speaker wants
with that language. On the other hand the so- Figure 4.
called co-text (nunan; 1993). It is the material
that exists around the sentence, such as The above conversation is the use of language
vocabulary or grammatical rule. with expressions. Let me explain the context of
the language. Mrs. Nia posted her picture. The
picture shows that she is hanging out in
Bandung. Then her friend, Rosa, responds by
reminding Mrs. Nia on her tasks. Because mrs.
Nia is taking her Phd. right now so she must has
many tasks she has to finish. The fence sign (#)
in the picture means Mrs. rosa calls herself a
destroyer of pleasure. Mrs. Rosa's sentence
makes the atmosphere more humorous by
adding this sentence. Next the researcher
comment that “it's ok to hang out but keep
thinking about the scientific mood”. Mrs. Nia
replies Mrs. rosa's comment by saying "what
the hell is this”
Context of situation of the sentence is: field
of the conversation is a daily conversation
between friends when one of the friends posted
1 photo of the activity . The tenor is rosa, nia,
and the researcher herself. These three people
are close friends. Mode is the function of the
language. Mrs. Rosa`s comment serves
respond by reminding in the context of humor.
My comment is just nice comment. And Mrs.
Nia reply aims to pretend that Mrs. Rosa's
comments will disturb the atmosphere of her
hanging out.
If we analyze the conversation and ignore
the emoticon or symbol the interpretation will
be different. The meaning of utterance
exchange will be difficult to understood by
other reader who donot know about the social
background of of the participant. Even each
participant who excange the utterances may feel
serious if she doesnot understand that the mode
of the converstation is humor. In considering
this case emoticon or symbol in digital
messaging in crusial. Because this emoticon can
change the function of intonation. The
explanation above is an example of how the
language text in digital massaging will find
some obstacles if it is exchanged without
symbol. it also explains how if the element of
context is incomplete then the meaning of
language that is exchanged will not perfectly
received by the listener.
The Function of Symbol
The absence of speaker and listener expression
and intonation sometimes makes incorrect
interpretion. This case causes miss
communication between the speaker and the
reader. To avoid this fact social media has been
facilitated with emoticons or a choice of various
symbols. But unfortunately the social media
users do not pinned this symbol in every
utterance they exchanged. Social media like
whassap and Black berry messager have
symbol emoticons that are not much different.
In addition the symbol function also
represent intonation. Example when a husband
excange utterace in text messaging with his
wife, then he asks his wife with whom the wife
went out last night, uses a high intonation, so he
can use angry emoticon. But if he wants to say
with a lace tone because there is no feeling of
jealousy then he can use a smile symbol. The
wife as a text reader will certainly provides a
different feedback when the husband uses an
angry emooticon or smiley emoticons.
The symbol function is a substituteof an
idea. In a text messaging, symbol replaces an
expression which function is very powerful
because it replaces the facial expressions or
gestures of the speaker and listener body. As
stated by, Hiltz and Turoff (1982), "computer
conferees also find ways to overcome the lack
of personal contact. They have even devised
ways of sending computerized screams, hugs
and kisses by using graphic symbols formed in
ASCII characters”
The Intepretation of Symbol
In interpreting a symbol of course the reader
adjust to the perceptions that exist in their
thinking. it is sometimes confused when what
the symbol means does not match the intent of
the speaker. If I can explain that is like this; I
use to emoticons after my text in the main
social media whassap, when I interact with my
group of my close friends. I often use grimacing
face , a big smile, and a happy face. When I use
these emoticons so often, then my friend who
reads it will give the impression that every
word / phrase I add grimicing face emoji means
I'm joking, or the sentence I'm saying is not
serious. Then they respond with a humorous or
somewhat serious language because in their
perceptions I am not serious. Though I could
use my emoticons just to make the language I
exchanged was not formal, and I donot mean
that I was not serious.
and Text: Aspects of Language in a
Social-Semiotic Perspective: Victoria,
Autralia. Deakin University press.
Harrison,M.A., & Gilmore,A. L.(2012). U
txt when?College students’ social
contexts of text messaging. The Social
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Nunan, D. 1993. Introducing Discourse
Analysis. London: Penguin.
Sultan, A. J. (2014). Addiction to mobile
text messaging applications is nothing
to “lol” about. Social Science Journal,
51(1), 57–69.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2013.0
9.003

As in oral language, exspresion has several

meaning and so does emoji. One emoji has
more than 3 meaning. Example face emoji with
water droplets in front of it can mean drowsy,
bored, not interested, tired, etc. This is what
causes different of interpretation. The language
users only conclude based on their knowledge
so that it can cause misperception.interpretation
becomes severe when previously there was a
miss interpretaton in the previous conversation
between one speaker and other.

Reference

Austin, John, 1962. How to Do Things with

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Halliday & Hasan. 1985. Language, Context