Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo.

blog by S.J. Velasquez • July 08, 2011 @ 2:23pm

It’s our favorite sentence, and the team from Buffalo Unscripted loves it, too:

“Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo.”

Watch the video below, cleverly produced by the Buffalo Unscripted crew. Speaking of #BUFunscripted, the team is on its way to Buffalo to shoot a series of short interviews with locals. Want to tell the world about your fair city? It’s your time to shine, and to polish up Buffalo’s reputation. As Robby Takac as my witness, we will prove to the world we are more than just chicken wings.

The sentence was coined by UB associate professor of computer science William J. Rapaport—who also has special interests in philosophy and linguistics. He proposed the original sentence above, but he later was able to expand that sentence to repeat the word “buffalo” 10 times consecutively:

“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.”

On his personal webpage, Rapaport explains the construction of this sentence. Be prepared to have your mind blown:

“So, buffalo who live in Buffalo (e.g., at the Buffalo Zoo, which does, indeed, have buffalo), and who are buffaloed (in a way unique to Buffalo) by other buffalo from Buffalo, themselves buffalo (in the way unique to Buffalo) still other buffalo from Buffalo.”

TAGGED: buffalo, buffalo unscripted, buffalove, bufunscripted, city pride

S.J. Velasquez

Comments

Avery fbook July 08, 2011 @ 3:27pm

I just sat here for roughly ten minutes trying to figure that out. Way to make me question my intellect
S.J. Velasquez July 08, 2011 @ 5:08pm

I thought I had it all figured out, until I went back to the professor’s explanation. Then I got more and more confused. I need to draw it out.