Sarcasm in Written Communication: Emoticons are Efficient Markers of Intention
通过两项实验发现，吐舌和眨眼表情符号是书面交流中表达讽刺意图的主要标记，省略号则更多与批评相关，表明表情符号能弥补非语言线索的缺失。
We present 2 studies that investigate the use of emoticons in clarifying message intent. We examine sarcasm in particular, which can be especially hard to interpret correctly in written communication. In both studies, participants were required to make the intentions of their messages clear. In the first, they clarified the meaning of existing sentences without altering the wording; in the second, they produced their own sentences. Results provided clear evidence that tongue and wink emoticons are the principal indicators of sarcastic intent, and that ellipsis is associated more with criticism, rather than with sarcasm. These findings highlight the significant role emoticons play in clarifying message intention, compensating for the absence of nonverbal cues in written communication.