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Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

Karl Hungus

Saw this posted on another message board and found it incredibly fascinating, and highly amusing, so I thought I'd have to share it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo

"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo." is a grammatically correct sentence used as an example of how homonyms and homophones can be used to create complicated constructs. It has been discussed in literature since 1972 when the sentence was used by William J. Rapaport, currently an associate professor at the University at Buffalo.[1] It was posted to Linguist List by Rapaport in 1992.[2] It was also featured in Steven Pinker's 1994 book The Language Instinct. Sentences of this type, although not in such a refined form, have been known for a long time. A classic example is the proverb "Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you".

Here's another one that's quite puzzling me: James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher.

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Piste

Baconandeggs.

Seems I forgot to put a space between bacon and and and and and eggs

Terry

I like to break stuff.

Karl Hungus

Terry wrote: »

I like to break stuff.

If by 'stuff' you mean the spirits of regular AH users.

FunkZ

Karl Hungus wrote: »

If by 'stuff' you mean the spirits of regular AH users.

Here is five million dollars!

mike65

This thread is too sophisicated for AH

Mike

Karl Hungus

mike65 wrote: »

This thread is too sophisicated for AH

Mike

Ah, you're probably right there Mike.

Silenceisbliss

elephant's elephant elephants elephant elephant's elephants

mike65

Karl eats shoots and leaves (for the linguistic etymology forum)

Mike

dlofnep

dlofnep disagrees that Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo is a gramatically correct sentence.

Call Me Jimmy

Did de buffaloz take arr jabz or wha?

phasers

I don't understand

antodeco

I for one welcome our buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo.

Bros123

Hunky Dorys....

MMMMMMMM.......

BUFFALO..........

_blank_

Bison bison bison bison bison bison bison bison

tbh.

TPD

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Saw this posted on another message board and found it incredibly fascinating, and highly amusing, so I thought I'd have to share it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo

Here's another one that's quite puzzling me: James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher.

Your a homophone.

Karl Hungus

TPD wrote: »

Your a homophone.

It's you're!!!! Grammar for the love of all that is buffalo!!! :mad: ARGH!!!!

Jimbo

Can someone explain the buffalo one?

growler

Buffalo elephant wolfs armadillo sh1t ....

i give up

stupid game

Karl Hungus

jimbo78 wrote: »

Can someone explain the buffalo one?

Did you not read the wikipedia page? It explains it perfectly.

The sentence is unpunctuated and uses three different readings of the word "buffalo". In order of their first use, these are

* c. The city of Buffalo, New York (or any other place named "Buffalo"), which is used as an adjective in the sentence and is followed by the animal;
* a. The animal buffalo, in the plural (equivalent to "buffaloes" or "buffalos"), in order to avoid articles (a noun);
* v. The verb "buffalo" meaning to bully, confuse, deceive, or intimidate.

Marking each "buffalo" with its use as shown above gives

Buffaloc buffaloa Buffaloc buffaloa buffalov buffalov Buffaloc buffaloa.

Thus, the sentence when parsed reads as a description of the pecking order in the social hierarchy of buffaloes living in Buffalo:

[Those] (Buffalo buffalo) [whom] (Buffalo buffalo buffalo) buffalo (Buffalo buffalo).
[Those] buffalo(es) from Buffalo [that are intimidated by] buffalo(es) from Buffalo intimidate buffalo(es) from Buffalo.
Bison from Buffalo, New York, who are intimidated by other bison in their community also happen to intimidate other bison in their community.
THE buffalo FROM Buffalo WHO ARE buffaloed BY buffalo FROM Buffalo ALSO buffalo THE buffalo FROM Buffalo.

growler wrote: »

Buffalo elephant wolfs armadillo sh1t ....

i give up

stupid game

...

It's not a game. Who said it was?

Mike was right, this is far too sophisticated for After Hours.

TPD

Karl Hungus wrote: »

It's you're!!!! Grammar for the love of all that is buffalo!!! :mad: ARGH!!!!

I was being ironic.

*hopes that excuse works*

I'd usually be the first to give out about something like that. I blame the beer.

Karl Hungus

TPD wrote: »

I was being ironic.

*hopes that excuse works*

I'd usually be the first to give out about something like that. I blame the beer.

I still laughed.

growler

TPD wrote: »

I was being ironic.

*hopes that excuse works*

I'd usually be the first to give out about something like that. I blame the beer.

what he said , obviously :rolleyes: some people these days

shoelaceface

im COMPLETELY lost by it all

Carsinian Thau

dlofnep wrote: »

dlofnep disagrees that Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo is a gramatically correct sentence.

You're not Pighead. Don't try to be. No-one can take his place.

Töpher

Marklar?

Earthhorse

TPD wrote: »

Your a homophone.

No need to bring his sexuality into it.

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Mike was right, this is far too sophisticated for After Hours.

Hungus hung us.

Karoma

Earthhorse wrote: »

No need to bring his sexuality into it.

You would say that, homonym. ¬_¬

Anyone who doesn't get it, with the explanation linked to... *shakes head* Learn French. Speak French. Never look back and despise those who speak English.

Bros123

Carsinian Thau wrote: »

You're not Pighead. Don't try to be. No-one can take his place.

Thank God.1 is quite enough.

Terry

Karl Hungus wrote: »

If by 'stuff' you mean the spirits of regular AH users.

Yes.

darkman2

Piste wrote: »

Baconandeggs.

Seems I forgot to put a space between bacon and and and and and eggs

Bertie, is that you?