parsing is such sweet sorrow

[janeandsimple]

i have just discovered the existence of the coolest grammatically correct sentence in the english language. possibly all languages. language in general, in fact:

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

if you think i'm talking gibberish, check it out.

Comments

[katylyn]

The link just says it doesn't have an article with that name?

[ringthebells]

There's an extra " in the link as she has it right now; delete that and it works.

[janeandsimple]

fixed!

[durdaana]

I want your icon all over EVERYTHING. On Okcupid I have started correcting emails and sending them back.

[janeandsimple]

YOU ARE MY HERO

[anonymous]

This is great. Thanks for pointing this out.
-Joel

[janeandsimple]

j...joel?

[anonymous]

Unless I overestimate myself, yes: THAT Joel.
-Joel
PS I brought this sentence up with some friends and parsed it with them. It took me some time (and reading that wiki article) to figure it out...I wouldn't have gotten there alone, not knowing about 'to buffalo' (v.) It then took us some time for me to explain it. Nevertheless, a rewarding exercise.
So, thanks.

[janeandsimple]

you do not overestimate: there is and has always ever been only ONE joel. ;)

and yeah, i wasn't aware of the verb before either... it took me the "Buffalo bison bully" example for it to properly sink in for me.

but dude, HOW did you find me???

[allenec]

Aaaa this totally broke my mind!

[janeandsimple]

then you will no doubt love the story of Esau Wood:

Esau Wood sawed wood. Esau Wood would saw wood. All the wood Esau Wood saw, Esau Wood would saw. In other words, all the wood Esau saw to saw, Esau sought to saw. Oh, the wood Wood would saw! And, oh the wood-saw with which Wood would saw wood! But one day, Wood's wood-saw would saw no wood, and thus the wood Wood sawed was not the wood Wood would saw if Wood's wood-saw would saw wood. Now, Wood would saw wood with a wood-saw that would saw wood, so Esau sought a saw that would saw wood. One day, Esau saw a saw saw wood as no other wood-saw Wood saw would saw wood. In fact, of all the wood-saws Wood ever saw saw wood, Wood never saw a wood-saw that would saw wood as the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood would saw wood, and I never saw a wood-saw that would saw as the wood-saw Wood saw would saw until I saw Esau Wood saw wood with the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood. Now Wood saws wood with the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood.

:P

[ungratefulbiped]

Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.