Oct. 5, 2006 — What do you call a strange rabbit? Give up? A funny bunny.
This silly riddle is the kind you might expect from grade school-aged children. But kids with speech impairments who communicate using a computer and voice synthesizer often don't have the chance to word play with their friends.
Now, interactive software that builds puns, jokes and riddles could help children with motor or cognitive disabilities not only improve their communication skills but also engage in a normal childhood activity otherwise closed to them.
"A lot of previous research has shown that children tell simple jokes at this young age, and it's crucial for developing language skills," said Ruli Manurung, a research fellow in computational linguistics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, who worked on the project.
The computer program, called STANDUP (System to Augment Non-speakers' Dialogue Using Puns) has two parts: a screen and controls designed especially for children with disabilities, and a database of 130,000 homophones, synonyms and phrases that have double meanings for shaping riddles.
The program has 10 joke types that define basic punning structures from which the child can choose. For example, the bunny joke is the 'juxtapose' joke type where the answer consists of two similar sounding words.
Good jokes can be added to a 'favorite jokes' collection that can be looked up quickly for sharing with family and friends.
The more jokes produced, the more a user's personality shines through.
