Talk:Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo/Archive 5

Semi-protected edit request on 21 May 2020
I. RENAME SECTION HEADING "Origin" --> "Origin and Extensions"

II. EDIT FINAL SENTENCE OF THAT SECTION AND ADD EXAMPLES:

Versions of the linguistic oddity can be constructed with other words which similarly simultaneously serve as collective noun, adjective, and verb, some of which need no capitalization (such as "police").[8]

Versions of the linguistic oddity can be constructed with other words which similarly simultaneously serve as place-name, collective noun, adjective, and verb, some of which need no capitalization (such as "police").[8] Some examples, with source place-names: ·Fox, Alaska ["Fox fox Fox fox fox fox Fox fox"; "to fox" meaning to outwit] ·Duck, West Virginia ["Duck duck Duck duck duck duck Duck duck"; "to duck" meaning to evade] ·Badger, Minnesota ["Badger badger Badger badger badger badger Badger badger"; "to badger" meaning to pester] More elaborate extensions might include two-word place-name examples, with an additional, repeated form-element serving as both adjective and adverb (here, the word "little"): ·Little Flock, Arkansas ["Little Flock little flock Little Flock little flock little flock little flock Little Flock little flock"; with "flock" being a pastor's small congregation, say, and "to flock" meaning to decorate with a tuft of wool or cotton fiber] Larrytimes23 (talk) 01:01, 21 May 2020 (UTC)


 * ❌ per WP:NOR –Deacon Vorbis (carbon &bull; videos) 02:36, 21 May 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 August 2020
We should add some further understanding of this type of sentence. For example, there exists a complete description for how to compute the number of valid parsings of any number of the English word "buffalo" in a row. My below suggestion can be added to the "Usage" heading under the "Sentence construction" heading.

Specifically, we should cite https://www.quora.com/How-many-ways-can-Buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-be-parsed/answer/Apoorv-Khandelwal as a reference. We can add at least the following from that answer. 1. mathematical formula for the number of parsings 2. table which contains the number of valid parsings of sentences containing only n instances of the word "buffalo"

This information enhances the reader's understanding of how many ways there are to parse such sentences. Full disclosure: I am the author of that Quora answer. Kapoorvk (talk) 03:17, 16 August 2020 (UTC)


 * ❌. Quora is not a reliable source. ◢  Ganbaruby!   (Say hi!) 14:17, 16 August 2020 (UTC)

Anyone else get a message from MediaWiki message delivery?
I know I'm not the only one. Haven't edited this in years, for the record, about all I ever did was a decade ago and that was just to chase the riff-raff off this page for a few days. The Blade of the Northern Lights ( 話して下さい ) 15:23, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Yes. ⇒   SWAT Jester   Shoot Blues, Tell VileRat! 18:00, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

"buffalo" as a verb
Am I wrong to think that using "buffalo" as a verb to mean "to bully" or whatever it's supposed to mean, is only used in English in this stupid sentence? john k (talk) 16:44, 31 December 2019 (UTC)


 * Yes, only in English, since it means this in English. It would be interesting to see if there are other languages in which such constructions are possible.  Cl ea n Co py talk 22:50, 31 December 2019 (UTC)
 * What I meant is, the verb "to buffalo" is an extremely rare usage in English, which I have actually only encountered in reference to this particular linguistics textbook example. john k (talk) 22:25, 8 January 2020 (UTC)


 * Yes...but it has taken on a new meaning as well, apparently. Cl ea n Co py talk 15:03, 9 January 2020 (UTC)


 * In German the phrase goes "Wenn Fliegen fliegen fliegen Fliegen fliegen hinterher" (when flies fly flies fly behind flies).--Nico b. (talk) 11:42, 10 October 2021 (UTC)
 * It makes more sense if the last "fliegen" is a noun: "Wenn Fliegen fliegen fliegen Fliegen Fliegen hinterher" Cl ea n Co py talk 17:09, 10 October 2021 (UTC)
 * During my upbringing in Texas, it was a polite way of saying that someone was being BS'd.
 * What makes "Buffalo buffalo buffalo ..." to any number of iterations be a grammatically correct sentence (without using a place name) is that the verb "buffalo" is both transitive and intransitive, so: "buffalo buffalo" (they just sit around BS'ing), and "buffalo buffalo buffalo" (buffalo generally BS each other). The fourth step, "buffalo, buffalo buffalo, buffalo" gives you what you need for a constructive, recursive proof that any number of iterations of "buffalo" are a grammatically correct sentence.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.211.112.55 (talk) 16:39, 13 January 2023 (UTC)
 * It's used in the Wizard of Oz film. Oolong (talk) 07:44, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm nearly certain that an intransitive form is not required. 'Buffalo buffalo' can be an instruction. Oolong (talk) 07:43, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
 * As the buffalo soldier is African or hispanic,the buffalo can be buffalo and there can be a buffalo part of the city,from which they belong.
 * The typy of bullying maybe the specific way that african buffalo from African Buffalo do it...
 * 27.96.195.8 (talk) 05:59, 19 September 2023 (UTC)
 * I heard it too, it meant ‘bluff, with some intimidation behind it so it won’t get called’. Not rare, I think. 2A00:23C7:E287:1901:E5C3:F56D:8023:3123 (talk) 10:09, 5 October 2023 (UTC)