Emoticons, for those who don't know, are ways of expressing emotions (which would normally be expressed through facial expressions and tone of voice) in text. They're not the same as emojis, which are little pictures which show facial expressions (and other things).
One thing I've noticed here on italki is that people from different countries use different emoticons, and don't realize that their emoticons might look strange or not be understood by people from the country/countries that speak their target language. Or, they might use emoticons which make sense, but shouldn't be used in that situation. For example, the "winky face" ;) is widely considered to be creepy by native English speakers (or at least by Americans).
Here are some emoticons that are often used in the US (and, I believe, in other English-speaking countries):
:) or (: - happy
:( or ): - sad
:D - very happy
xD or XD - extremely happy or laughing
D: - very sad
:'( or )': - crying
:O or O: - surprised
o.O (and many other variations) - confused
;) - winking (you usually shouldn't use this!)
And I'm sure there are more that other people can add!
What emoticons are used by people in your country? Are there any emoticons which are considered taboo or creepy?
Amy, I have this smiley face (,") that I use always and I love it (",)
Dorothy tried to tell me not to use it for so many reasons, but I couldn't ;) It's just me and the way I see it, it's a shy smiley face from the Middle East ;D hehe
KP asked me about it once and my friend Chac mool loved it and started using it too ;)
There are no rules for smiling KP, so :-) is just fine :')
The most important is that people smile, no matter how, just SMILE :D
Amy, I think you could be right that the issue about the wink among native English-speakers could be generational. I'm with Dorothy and Susan on this one. I had honestly no idea that young people took it as something creepy.
I'm not much of an emoticon user, but I do use the wink to show that I'm teasing. If I write something here that might be seen as mildly critical or pedantic, I'll often add a wink to show that I'm not being entirely serious.
Perhaps it does depend on who writes it and who reads it? If someone you suspect might be creepy sends you a wink following a creepy-sounding comment, I can understand your interpretation. But if a nice friendly 'mom' type like Dorothy, Susan or myself uses one, surely that doesn't come over like that? If it does, then I apologise to anyone I might have unintentionally creeped out!
I agree with Dorothy, I use the wink emoticon to indicate sarcasm or a teasing remark. I could see where it might be seen as flirtatious in some contexts, and possibly creepy, if the flirting was unwelcome or inappropriate. The tongue sticking out emoticon gives me the impression of someone saying " Nyah, nyah" or "So there!" and seems a bit rude to me as well.
I think of ;) as a wink indicating a little bit of sarcasm or irony.... not creepy. I'm surprised to hear it is considered creepy by some.
THANKS.. I ALREADY USE THIS ONE ;)
NOW I KNOW WHY NOBODY TALKS TO ME JAJA
JUST KIDDING! BUT THANKS ANYWAY
AND I LIKE TO USE THIS ONE TOO
:/ ----> CONFUSED
