【明報專訊】According to the Oxford Dictionaries website, the 2015 Word of the Year is a pictograph . It is the emoji officially called "Face with Tears of Joy". The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a word or expression that "captures the ethos, mood or preoccupations of that particular year."

The definition of "word" allows emoji to stand with other conventional communicative forms. The year of 2015 saw a huge increase in both the use of emoji, which have been used since the 1990s, and the word "emoji" itself. In particular, is the emoji most used worldwide in 2015.

The word "emoji" has originated in Japan. It means a picture or icon that expresses an emotion or idea. The use of emoji is embraced as a way of expression in which one can overcome language barriers. President of Oxford Dictionaries Casper Grathwohl said, "You can see how traditional alphabet scripts have been struggling to meet the rapid-fire, visually focused demands of 21st Century communication."

(source: Ming Pao, Oxford Dictionaries Online, The Independent )

◆word /w3:d/

- A single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing

- A conceptual unit of language (Source: Oxford Dictionaries Online)

■Words

pictograph 象形圖

emoji 繪文字 (日本名稱)

■Quiz

Choose the correct answers.

(answers on next text)

1. According to the text, the 2015 Word of the Year is called

a. Laugh Cry

b. Face with Tears of Joy

c. Happy Face

2. Emoji were first used in

a. 2000s

b. 2010s

c. 1990s

a. visual

b. substantial

c. traditional

3. Which of the following words has the same meaning as "conventional" in paragraph 2 ?

4. Where has the word "emoji" come from?

a. Japan

b. Oxford

c. Hong Kong

■Glossary

ethos (n) 道德觀

preoccupation (n) 使人全神貫注的事物

conventional (adj) 傳統的

struggle (v) 掙扎