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'''Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo''' is a ] ] used as an example of how ]s can be used to create complicated constructs. It first featured in ]'s 1994 book '']'' and has since been repeated throughout the ]. '''Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo''' is a ] ] used as an example of how ]s can be used to create complicated constructs. It featured in ]'s 1994 book '']'',<ref name="Pinker">]. 1994. '']'' p210.</ref> but is known to have been around before February 1992 when it was posted to ].<ref name="Linguistlist">Rapaport, William J. ] ]. "". Accessed ] ].</ref>


==Sentence construction==
The sentence uses three possible meanings of the word "]": The sentence uses three possible meanings of the word "]":
#An ] #An ]
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This only leaves "Buffalo" referring to the city. This only leaves "Buffalo" referring to the city.

==Parsing difficulties==
Other than the obvious confusion caused by the homophones, the sentence is difficult to ] for several reasons:
#The use of "buffalo" as a verb is not particularly common
#The removal of redundant words ("the", "that", etc.) to such a degree is not a common linguistic approach
#The omission of punctuation makes it difficult to read the flow of the sentence

==References==
<div class="references-small"><references /></div>


==External links== ==External links==

Revision as of 21:04, 14 September 2006

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo is a grammatically valid sentence used as an example of how homophones can be used to create complicated constructs. It featured in Steven Pinker's 1994 book The Language Instinct, but is known to have been around before February 1992 when it was posted to Linguist List.

Sentence construction

The sentence uses three possible meanings of the word "buffalo":

  1. An American Bison
  2. Buffalo, New York, the second-largest city in the state of New York
  3. A verb meaning to confuse, deceive, or intimidate

Rewritten using these definitions, the sentence could be rewritten:

Buffalo bison Buffalo bison bewilder bewilder Buffalo bison.

This only leaves "Buffalo" referring to the city.

Parsing difficulties

Other than the obvious confusion caused by the homophones, the sentence is difficult to parse for several reasons:

  1. The use of "buffalo" as a verb is not particularly common
  2. The removal of redundant words ("the", "that", etc.) to such a degree is not a common linguistic approach
  3. The omission of punctuation makes it difficult to read the flow of the sentence

References

  1. Pinker, Steven. 1994. The Language Instinct p210.
  2. Rapaport, William J. 19 February 1992. "Message 1: Re: 3.154 Parsing Challenges". Accessed 14 September 2006.

External links

Category: