Linguist Jan Olav Fretland says that people perceive messages without smiley more negative, even if whether the message is positive or neutral. Since emojis have become so common, use of smileys in the Norwegian writing rules, according to the Norwegian linguist.
– I think we must get used to the idea of emoticons that is going to be standardized, says linguist Jan Olav Fretland to NRK.
He believes that they are so used widely, so people recognize the need for an additional tool to express themselves in written language.
A smiley (sometimes simply called a happy or smiling face) is a stylized representation of a smiling humanoid face, an important part of popular culture. The classic form designed in 1963 comprises a yellow circle with two black dots representing eyes and a black arc representing the mouth. On the Internet and in other plain text communication channels, the emoticon form (sometimes also called the smiley-face emoticon) has traditionally been most popular, typically employing a colon and a right parenthesis to form sequences like :^), :), or (: that resemble a smiling face when viewed after rotation through 90 degrees. “Smiley” is also sometimes used as a generic term for any emoticon. The smiley has been referenced in nearly all areas of Western culture including music, movies, and art. The smiley has also been associated with 1970’s rave culture.
