| Revision as of 19:08, 14 September 2006 view sourceVioletriga (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users37,361 edits buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo? | Revision as of 20:22, 14 September 2006 view source Violetriga (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users37,361 edits use ALoan's explanation from talkNext edit → | ||
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| Rewritten using these definitions, the sentence could be rewritten: | Rewritten using these definitions, the sentence could be rewritten: | ||
| : Buffalo bison Buffalo bison bewilder bewilder Buffalo bison. | |||
| :Bison from the city in New York, whom other bison from the city in New York intimidate, themselves intimidate yet further bison from the city in New York. | |||
| This only leaves "Buffalo" referring to the city. | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 20:22, 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 first featured in Steven Pinker's 1994 book The Language Instinct and has since been repeated throughout the Internet.
The sentence uses three possible meanings of the word "buffalo":
- An American Bison
- Buffalo, New York, the second-largest city in the state of New York
- 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.
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