Meaning of emojis: ‘Context is key’ - Legal Linguist
The meanings of emojis have taken centre stage in the Judicial Conduct Tribunal of Judge President Selby Mbenenge.
CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit speaks with Dr Zakeera Docrat, Forensic and Legal Linguist post-Doctoral Researcher from UWC.
Listen below:
Since their creation in 1999, emojis have become a part of our everyday lives.
They can be used to express feelings, emotions, or tones that typed words alone may not convey.
However, not everyone interprets them in the same way.
Emojis have become a key part of the Judicial Conduct Tribunal of Judge President Selby Mbenenge, who stands accused of sexually harassing clerk Andiswa Mengo.
Mbenenge sent messages to Mengo with emojis that have sexually explicit connotations.
Docrat was called in as an expert witness in this case, having done extensive research on the use and interpretation of emojis.
RELATED: Emojis sent by EC top judge Mbenenge interpreted to mean he lusted after high court secretary Mengo
She says that while there are some commonly understood emojis, the meaning and intent of an emoji cannot be determined without looking at the context in which it was sent.
“Context is key… if you send the eggplant emoji and the conversation is of a sexual nature, then immediately there are sexual connotations attached to the emoji.”
- Dr Zakeera Docrat, Forensic and Legal Linguist post-Doctoral Researcher - UWC
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