While typing the title of my previous post, Bigots’ Bigoted Bigotry, I was reminded of the longest grammatically correct sentence in the English language using a single word, which is this:
Buffalo buffalo, Buffalo buffalo buffalo, buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
As you may be able to decipher, the word “buffalo” is not only an animal (bison) and the name of a city, it can also be used as a verb, which means to intimidate or bully. The plural form of buffalo (the animal) is also buffalo (or buffalos or buffaloes) and the use of “Buffalo” can be used as both the name of a city, or as an adjective describing something from that city.
Here is the sentence again, reworded using the above definitions and clarification:
Bison from Buffalo, New York, who are intimidated by other bison in their community also happen to intimidate other bison in their community.
The sentence, as if it didn’t cause enough confusion with eight repetitions of the same word, can be extended to include eleven uses of the word, “buffalo.” And the shortest sentence using the word is, “Buffalo!” There are other examples using various words, but not any that can match “buffalo,” i.e. Fish fish fish fish fish.
I also found the Swedish phrase, “Bar barbarbarbarbar bar bar barbarbarbarbar” interesting as it can mean, “naked barbarian-bar-barbarian [barbarian usually hanging out in bars for barbarians] carried naked barbarian-bar-barbarian.”
For more linguistic fun, check out the following links:
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher
