1. Interactive computer generation of jokes for language skill development
Applied Computing, University of Dundee Annalu Waller Dave O’Mara
Informatics, University of Edinburgh Graeme Ritchie Helen Pain Ruli Manurung
also: Alistair Low, Lucia Trujillo-Dennis

2. Outline Motivation STANDUP project JAPE Two extensions to JAPE
Low (2003)
Trujillo-Dennis (2003)
STANDUP revisited
Summary

3. Humour and language impaired children
Use of humour enhances children’s linguistic & conversational skills, social interaction (Waller et al 2001)
Language-impaired children (LIC) have limited opportunities for language-play & humour
Thus, LIC have significantly poorer comprehension of humour
Understanding of humour from LIC aged working on 5-7 curriculum (O’Mara et al 2002)
This suggests that LIC have ability to use jokes – if more accessible

4. STANDUP Project
Build support tool that enables LIC to experience language play (through humour)
Current LIC tools are primarily functional, focusing on needs-based communication
Existing computer based tools: text prediction, improving syntax, second language learning, discussion skills

5. Automated humour
JAPE (Binsted & Ritchie 1994, 1997) is capable of producing punning riddles such as:
What’s the difference between leaves and a car?
One you brush and rake, the other you rush and brake.
What do you get when you cross a monkey and a peach?
An ape-ricot.
What do you call a murderer with fibre?
A cereal killer.
It searches a general purpose dictionary to find words that fit pre-defined structures called schemas and templates.

6. What do you call a strange market ?
JAPE:Example
What do you call a strange market ?

7. What do you call a strange market ?
JAPE:Example
What do you call a strange market ?
A bizarre bazaar.

8. What do you call a strange market ?
JAPE:Example
What do you call a strange market ?
A bizarre bazaar.
homophone

9. What do you call a strange market ?
JAPE:Example
What do you call a strange market ?
describes
A bizarre bazaar.
homophone

10. What do you call a strange market ?
JAPE:Example
synonym
What do you call a strange market ?
describes
A bizarre bazaar.
homophone

11. What do you call a strange market ?
JAPE:Example
synonym
What do you call a strange market ?
describes
A bizarre bazaar.
homophone
synonym

12. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: A B C D What do you call a ? A . C
homophone A B
synonym
synonym C D
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A . C D A B

13. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bizarre What do you call a ? A .
homophone
bizarre
synonym
synonym
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .

14. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bizarre bazaar What do you call a
homophone
bizarre
bazaar
synonym
synonym
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .

15. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bizarre bazaar strange
homophone
bizarre
bazaar
synonym
synonym
strange
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .

16. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bizarre bazaar strange market
homophone
bizarre
bazaar
synonym
synonym
strange
market
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .

17. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bizarre bazaar strange market
homophone
bizarre
bazaar
synonym
synonym
strange
market
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .
strange
market
bizarre
bazaar

18. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bare What do you call a ? A .
homophone
bare
synonym
synonym
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .

19. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bare bear What do you call a ? A .
homophone
bare
bear
synonym
synonym
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .

20. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bare bear nude What do you call a
homophone
bare
bear
synonym
synonym
nude
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .

21. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bare bear nude animal
homophone
bare
bear
synonym
synonym
nude
animal
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .

22. JAPE:How it works SCHEMA: TEMPLATE: bare bear nude animal
homophone
bare
bear
synonym
synonym
nude
animal
TEMPLATE:
What do you call a
? A .
nude
animal
bare
bear

23. JAPE (cont.)
Suitable joke experts found JAPE’s better jokes comparably funny to those in children’s joke books (Binsted et al. 1997)
Limitations:
Slow – tries out all the words in the dictionary!
Unguidable mechanism – exhaustive search
How do we adapt this for interactive usage?

24. Extensions to JAPE (1)
Low (2003) developed a graphical user interface (GUI) for JAPE, with added functionality:
Creating jokes
Riddle-solving
Joke library
Topic database
Lexical support
Still slow, interface fairly complex

25. Added functionality
Interactivity

26. Customizability

27. Extensions to JAPE (2) Trujillo-Dennis (2003) developed UI for
children with speech impairments
(possibly) motor disabilities
no cognitive disabilities
Explores several aspects of the user interface:
Simple language and visual layout
Adaptable colour schemes
Speech output
Single switch scanning interface
Not tested on actual target users

28. Accessibility (scanning interface)

29. STANDUP Revisited To build a tool that aids LIC in creating jokes
Interactive: speed, efficiency
Customizable: extensible
User-centred design for LIC-specific interface
Appropriateness:
What do you get when you cross a vitellus and a saddlery?
A yolk yoke.
What do you call a capable seed?
An able semen.

30. email: ruli.manurung@ed.ac.uk
Summary
Humour enhances children’s conversation and social interaction
Support LIC with wordplay software
Starting point: JAPE, various extensions
Interactivity and customizability
User-centred design