Resumen de A study on multimodal metaphor of emotions in emojis

Youwen Yang, Wenbin Wang, Yuhan Zuo

• This study explores the construction and function of emotional metaphors in emojis across Chinese social media platforms. Through multimodal metaphor analysis, 500 emojis are categorised into positive, neutral, and negative emotional metaphors. The findings show that positive metaphors, like those for happiness and love, are most common, while negative metaphors for emotions such as anger and fear are more complex. These metaphors are grounded in physiological and physical responses, in accordance with cognitive theories of metaphor. The research concludes that emotional metaphors in emojis enhance narrative expression and facilitate social interaction by compensating for the lack of non-verbal cues in digital communication. An innovative aspect of this study is its comprehensive analysis of how these multimodal metaphors bridge linguistic and emotional gaps, enriching communication in digital interactions. This research underscores the importance of effective emotional expression in the evolving landscape of online communication.