this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2024
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[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 18 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is a grammatically correct sentence in English that is often presented as an example of how homonyms and homophones can be used to create complicated linguistic constructs through lexical ambiguity. It has been discussed in literature in various forms since 1967, when it appeared in Dmitri Borgmann's Beyond Language: Adventures in Word and Thought.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo

[–] Chrobin@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

In German, we have "Wenn Fliegen hinter Fliegen fliegen, fliegen Fliegen Fliegen nach". Notice that all nouns are capitalized in German.

[–] PlexSheep@infosec.pub 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

But that one is really easy to understand when you know German, unlike the buffalos

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Yup. I know a bit of German, but that doesn't help with the buffalos at all.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] Klear@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 months ago

msn messenger noises

[–] 10_0@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

People who say that this is grammatically correct need to resit GCSE English

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 12 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

It is grammatically correct, just semantically ambiguous. Buffalo is a proper noun, a noun, and a verb.

A semantically equivalent form preserving the original word order is: "Buffalonian bison that other Buffalonian bison bully also bully Buffalonian bison."