Is this a sentence? If so, what is the first NP? Where is the VP?

“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo”

At first it looks odd but let’s replace the words with more familiar ones.

  • Buffalo – a location which we will replace with ‘Coventry’

  • buffalo – an animal which we will replace with the word ‘boys’ (not many buffaloes in Coventry!)

  • to buffalo – an uncommon use of a verb which we will replace with ‘to intimidate’

The sentence can now be written as

Coventry boys Coventry boys intimidate intimidate Coventry boys

This still needs some explanation.

NP: Coventry boys (that) Coventry boys intimidate

The head noun here is ‘boys’ which is post modified by a reduced relative clause. The relative pronoun ‘that’ has been elided. So in other words, the Coventry boys are intimidating themselves!

X intimidate Y

The VP is ‘intimidate’. The object of the verb is ‘Coventry boys’. So again they are doing it to themselves!

In the original sentence:

  • NP (subject) = Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo

  • VP = buffalo

  • NP (object) Buffalo buffalo

Which just goes to show you can string together almost any number of words and still find meaning! Language is odd sometimes.