Data_Sheet_1_The pragmatic functions of emojis in Arabic tweets.pdf

Emojis have been used on different platforms and in different languages to express feelings and emotions in online communication, which has led to their widespread familiarity among social media users worldwide. The current study is concerned with the pragmatic functions (speaker and contextual meanings) of emojis in Arabic tweets. The study used mixed methods to analyze the use of emojis and emoji position to identify their functions and possible gender similarities and differences. The dataset of this study consists of 421 Arabic tweets by Arab users at the beginning of 2022 (149 by male users and 272 by females). This study addressed three questions: (1) What are the common emojis used in Arabic tweets and their position in the tweet? (2) What are the pragmatic functions of these emojis? (3) What are the possible differences and similarities between male and female users in the use of emojis? The findings revealed that Loudly Crying Face, Red Heart, Face with Tears of Joy, Broken Heart, Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes, Pleading Face, Slightly Smiling Face, Pensive Face, and Weary Face were preponderant in Arabic tweets. Also, this study found seven pragmatic functions ranging from the most to the least frequent: Multiple functions, Reaction, Action, Decoration, Physical action, Softening, and Tone modification. Regarding the role of gender, there were both similarities and differences in terms of the frequency of emoji use, emoji position, and function. Moreover, the findings showed the importance of context to interpreting the functions of emojis. Finally, the findings have implications for emoji designers and Natural Language Processing (NLP).

表情符号（Emojis）已被不同平台、多语言环境下的用户应用于在线交流的情感表达，由此使其在全球社交媒体用户中拥有广泛的认知度。本研究聚焦阿拉伯语推文中表情符号的语用功能（即发话者意图与语境意义）。研究采用混合研究方法，通过分析表情符号的使用情况及其在推文中的位置，以识别其语用功能以及性别层面可能存在的共性与差异。本研究的数据集包含2022年初阿拉伯用户发布的421条阿拉伯语推文，其中男性用户发布149条，女性用户发布272条。本研究旨在回答三个问题：（1）阿拉伯语推文中常用的表情符号有哪些，以及它们在推文中的位置分布如何？（2）这些表情符号具备哪些语用功能？（3）男性与女性用户在表情符号使用方面存在哪些可能的共性与差异？研究结果显示，阿拉伯语推文中占主导地位的表情符号包括嚎啕大哭脸（Loudly Crying Face）、红心（Red Heart）、喜极而泣脸（Face with Tears of Joy）、破碎红心（Broken Heart）、爱心眼笑脸（Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes）、恳求脸（Pleading Face）、微微笑脸（Slightly Smiling Face）、沉思脸（Pensive Face）与疲惫脸（Weary Face）。此外，本研究识别出7类语用功能，按使用频率从高到低依次为：多功能、反应、动作、装饰、肢体动作、语气缓和与语调调整。就性别差异而言，男性与女性用户在表情符号使用频率、推文位置分布以及语用功能方面均存在共性与差异。此外，研究结果表明语境对于解读表情符号的语用功能具有重要意义。最后，本研究结果对表情符号设计者与自然语言处理（Natural Language Processing, NLP）领域具有参考价值。