How do you perceive emoticons?

[Jonluw]

Hiya escapists, I should be studying right now, but I have nothing even resembling inspiration; so I thought I would ask you this:

When you see an emoticon, how do you read it?

For example, when I see the emoticon "XD", I think "ex-dee", and it takes a little while before I notice the emoticon. Certain other emoticons though, like "", I understand at once.

You can use this thread for discussing anything else regarding emoticons as well.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

Well, they're supposed to look like facial expressions. So I link it with the facial expression I can most easily recognise it as. Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

 

[Supernatural Girl]

I usually understand emoticons easily. Except :L . I really don't get what that is supposed to be! XD and are my most used one, 'cause I'm just generally happy person. Go on, check my posts on here. Many of them have some sort of emoticon.

EDIT:

Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

Effing Ninja-ing Ba***rd

 

[Benj17]

i use and :') excessively, mainly because im usually taking the mick out of people

and i still don't get :L unless theres a special font it's supposed to be done in

OT: i get the majoirty of others, though i hate it when people use them out of context e.g. your dog died XD

 

[Jonluw]

and i still don't get :L unless theres a special font it's supposed to be done in

I think it looks like a disappointed face.

 

[Allan53]

I use them on occasion, but generally I don't like them. That said, it's more how people use them that irritate me, for example people using "lol" as punctuation, rather then denoting any actual amusement (yes, I know lol isn't an emoticon, I just meant my reaction to them is similar)

 

[Allan53]

and i still don't get :L unless theres a special font it's supposed to be done in

I think it looks like a disappointed face.

Or the result of a bad stroke, but that's just me.

 

[Supernatural Girl]

and i still don't get :L unless theres a special font it's supposed to be done in

I think it looks like a disappointed face.

But you'd think a disappointed face might look a little more like this -> : / or : [

 

[Bellvedere]

I've never even seen :L before... Weird stuff.

I generally use

Though when people do backwards smileys I tend to read them wrong

as

I don't know why.

 

[Enemy Of The State]

I instantly understand anything apart from XD or X anything for that matter.

Just stick to semi-colons and close brackets

 

[Jonluw]

But you'd think a disappointed face might look a little more like this -> : / or : [

I think : L has a bit more "meh" to it. Also it reminds me of Pintsize for some reason.

Edit: Upon further examination, it looks slightly worried.

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

Thank you!

Everyone uses that now and tells me it's a laughing face. Seriously? How many people laugh with half their mouth dangling down and the other half straight. Emoticons are meant to be faces, that's the whole damn point! -descends into incomprehensible ranting gibberish-

Normally I'm fine with all the emoticons. Except for the ones as above. Those aren't faces, just idiocy made mainstream.

 

[Zeromaeus]

I don't use emoticons, but I understand them...
...
...
I like ellipses though...

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

Thank you!

Everyone uses that now and tells me it's a laughing face. Seriously? How many people laugh with half their mouth dangling down and the other half straight. Emoticons are meant to be faces, that's the whole damn point! -descends into incomprehensible ranting gibberish-

My point exactly! Thank You! And I particularly agree with the whole 'Emoticons are meant to be faces, that's the whole damn point!'.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I usually understand emoticons easily. Except :L . I really don't get what that is supposed to be! XD and are my most used one, 'cause I'm just generally happy person. Go on, check my posts on here. Many of them have some sort of emoticon.

EDIT:

Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

Effing Ninja-ing Ba***rd

I think it means frowning, but you have a rather major facial scar.

Or drawing/creating, with the tongue stuck out...

some people draw like that. I can't find a picture of it, damn you google!

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

EDIT:

Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

Effing Ninja-ing Ba***rd

Hah =P Sorry about that! I appear to have Ninja'd quite a few people with that particular comment...

 

[Queen Michael]

I usually get them immediately. So the TV channel Disney XD confuses me.

 

[PoliceBox63]

I have a wide "vocab" of emoticons seeing as I have free texts to my best friend. Some of them are our own made up ones that resemble mannerisms we do in real-life like :* which means "ah yeah" or "sweet!" for when we make a noise with our lips that I can't describe.
Emoticons add to a conversation imo. They sometimes can clarify when we're being sarcastic and whatnot.

 

[infinity_turtles]

A forum i used to be active on had :L translate into a drooling smiley, so that's what I usually assume it is. Usually I just translate all emoticons into two things. "I'm annoying" and/or "I'm being sarcastic and want to make sure you understand that"

 

[Outright Villainy]

Yeah, most ones i get, except for the :L one like everyone says.
My favourites include:


:/
:|
>
o_0
-.-
^^