Wordplay: Love it or hate it?

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I'm kind of wondering how many people on the autism spectrum are pun geeks like me. There seems to be a split of some kind: I've heard of some Aspies who love puns and wordplay, and others who hate them. The real-life man who inspired "Rain Man" is described as an inveterate punster. The protagonist of "The Curious Incident" said that a pun felt overwhelming to him, like three people trying to talk to him at once. My husband and I are both diagnosed with Asperger's; I've loved playing with words in every possible way ever since I was a toddler, but he finds puns silly and annoying, though he jokes along tolerantly when I make them.

It seems that many of us on the spectrum have strong feelings about puns, one way or another. Maybe it's related to our experiences with literalism. My husband has had a lot of issues with taking other people literally when they mean to speak figuratively. I never had much trouble understanding figures of speech-- my parents bought me books of idioms, and I read and memorized them all at an early age-- but I did have trouble giving off the social signals that indicated whether I was joking or not, and I didn't always use figures of speech in the ways I was expected to, so I had a lot of trouble with other people taking me literally.

Still, that doesn't seem to have damaged my appreciation for puns. I've been playing with words for as long as I can remember. In high school and college, I wrote a limerick for every element on the Periodic Table, an epic story using no vowels except "i," and a 200+ word rhyming poem that reads the same right-side-up and upside-down. When all the other teenage girls were obsessing over Leonardo di Caprio, I was rearranging the letters in his name to spell "Crap, I adore no idol." I currently spend a lot of time on writing a webcomic called "Abby and Norma," which plays with everything from plain old double entendres to palindromes and anagrams.

Language is my main autistic fascination, and the savant skills I've developed have all been in that field, so it stands to reason that when I play, it's with words. Some autistics have different fascinations, though, and interests that don't include words at all. What are your thoughts on wordplay and the autism spectrum?

I love them. I'm just not very good at coming up with them on purpose. I do it by chance all the time though.

I invoke my constitutional right against self incrimination ...

Love it! That's pretty much my primary means of joking.

It often takes me a while to understand them but when I do I love them.I choice the ''love them'' option, I probably should have choosen the third option instead but it okay.

e.g. of a pun

Each time I tried shooting blindfolded I found it an aimless pursuit.

or

I did a theatrical performance about puns. Really it was just a play on words.

is this what ou mean by a pun?

Oh! Pun! Says me! topic

The Pun is mightier than the sum of the words contained.

Those "by chance" ones are often the very best!


Absolutely, and I love to investigate all their leadings.

Haha, yeah. Those are puns, and I like puns. But puns are only part of my wordplay fascination. I think the definition of "wordplay" is a little wider than the definition of "puns"-- a palindrome or anagram isn't really a pun, but it is a form of playing with words. One of my favorite strips of "Abby and Norma" was one where I managed to mix both puns and palindromes: http://www.erikahammerschmidt.com/an/in ... ?itemid=93

I have a fondness for alliteration and rhyming slang.

On being a Pun-dit topic

The word dit is French for speaking. Speaking in puns is a fun way to o-pun up different ideas, suggesting tangental pathways upun which to tread. This is great for picture thinkers like myself.

Palindromes can be punindromes, too, sometimes amalgams. I often think of Sarah when I see the word Palindrome. (Groan)

Just for pun, there is a new book just published entitled The Pun also rises, by John Pollack, published by Gotham Books. The subtitle is: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More than Some Antics

Punjoy!! (Pun intended, of course!)

Thanks, now I will be smiling all day.

Punindromes, and anagram amalgams. Heehee. I thought of palindromes when I first heard Sarah Palin's name, especially since the "palin" part basically means "backward." But then, actor Michael Palin isn't as backward as Sarah, so I guess the name isn't always descriptive of the person. "Harass Sarah" is a palindrome, though.

And I love your re-interpretation of the word "pundit."

I love wordplay! If I actually took the time to write stories, I would heavily incorporate it into my works.

I definitely enjoy wordplay

I love puns, Spoonerisms, mondegreens, malamanteaux (http://xkcd.com/739/)

Malamorphmanteau-ing the line topic

Spoonerfaderalismic, how malapropriate is that? Not always mondegreener over there.

Gott love wordplay.

I love wordplay.I heard a good one on the British version of Deal Or No Deal yesterday.The contestant had a phobia about mushrooms
and someone said he was still a 'fun guy' (fungi )