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| This only leaves "Buffalo" referring to the city. | This only leaves "Buffalo" referring to the city. | ||
| ==External links== | |||
| *"" at Language Log, ] ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 20:30, 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.
External links
- "Buffaloing buffalo" at Language Log, 20 January 2005