[jasode]

> I do not understand why we needed to expand on: =) or =(

Let's say people are restricted to "=)" , how do they convey difference between <smiling> vs <laughing> vs <joy> vs <yummy> etc?

>English is a sloppy, imprecise language.

Every human language is imprecise. Even mathematical notation is inconsistent: e.g. sin^2(x) == (sin(x))^2 but sin^-1(x) != (sin(x))^-1. Also, the notation for partial differential equations can be ambiguous and you need context to know what the independent variable is.

parenthetical aside: I'm not a linguist but I wonder if English is actually the most precise language of the ~6000 world languages because of its abundant inventory of synonyms built up by the assimilation of German(AngloSaxon) and French languages. I've noticed that several translators have commented that poetry is easier in English because of the wide shades of meaning available. If you want the biggest bag of synonyms to write some lyrics, English seems to be the weapon of choice.