The written Spanish language is markedly similar to English thanks to a variety of cognates and shared linguistic roots, utilizing the same 26 letters but adding accents and tildes to change pronunciation and signal emphasis. The Spanish tilde even maintains a place on the English keyboard, sitting in the top left hand corner and used to signal numeric approximation. In Spanish, the tilde is placed above the letter “n” in a variety of words, changing the pronunciation of the letter into a softer “ny” sound. The tilde is so central to the Spanish language that even the translation of Spain itself—España—sports the little squiggle.
While the tilde remains a vitally important linguistic mark in Spanish and Portuguese, its usage on Twitter was recently surpassed by another communicative tool: the crying laughing emoji. As Adam Sternbergh asserts in his NYMag piece concerning modern language and emojis, the outperformance of this emoji does not diminish the relevance of the tilde, but rather serves as proof of the growing importance of emojis as modern communicative tools. Whether we realize it or not, emojis are changing the ways we engage with each other, holding a central place in an increasingly technological world. And while pixelated faces and the occasional digital thumbs up can only signify so much, emojis communicate subtext, adding tone and inflection to the words that accompany them. Emojis, as a matter of fact, are so central to the modern communicator that Oxford Dictionary’s 2015 Word of the Year was not a word, but rather the crying face emoji.
Upon my arrival to Spain, I downloaded the wildly popular WhatsApp—a messaging platform app that avoids phone carrier charges by sending all data through an internet connection. I communicated through WhatsApp with my orientation group about meeting spots, a Spanish classmate about the homework assignment, and my host mom about being late for dinner. I both used and received emojis that extended some sort of universal understanding that my broken Spanish, quite frankly, could not. The utility of emojis as tools that transcend linguistic barriers is a part of their genius and their wild popularity. Like in all other parts of the world, Spaniards use emojis to digitally illustrate or visually supplement the messages they send. While the emojis of the Spanish flag and seafood paella directly speak to the country’s culture, the most used emoji in Spain is the blowing a kiss face, followed by the red heart, the smiley face with heart eyes, and the blushing smiley face.
My time abroad has assured me that the laid-back nature of Spanish culture extends into the interpersonal sphere. Classes start times are mere suggestions, the city shuts down between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. for siesta, and dinner is commonly followed by an hour of conversation. Spain truly embraces a “no pasa nada” ("don't worry") attitude, choosing a laid-back approach in regards to time, work, and play. In my experience, this informal mindset spills over to physical and romantic interactions, the most notable example being dos besos (two kisses). Instead of a handshake or a hug upon meeting a stranger or greeting a friend, Spaniards exchange two kisses on the cheeks. Dos besos immediately establishes a sense of platonic intimacy between two individuals that sets a precedent for a relaxed yet engaging conversation. This normalization of the kiss helps to explain the popularity of the kissing face emoji in Spain, simply symbolizing a friendly greeting rather than a romantic gesture.
Emojis may seem easily dismissible as quirky illustrations rather than communicative tools. And how could they not? It is understandably difficult to conceptualize a tempura shrimp or a smiling cat as a mechanism that revolutionizes the way we communicate. Still, emojis are not used in cultural vacuums, and their usage can point to greater cultural trends and social attitudes. And whether or not the world recognizes their importance, Spain will continue greeting strangers and friends alike with dos besos, physically and electronically.