"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" la mot cau co ngu phap hop le trong tieng Anh. Cau nay la mot vi du ve cach thuc ma cac tu đong am nhung khac nghia (homonym) va cac tu đong am nhung khac chu viet (homophone) co the đuoc su dung đe tao ra cac cau truc ngon ngu phuc tap. Cau nay đa đuoc ban luan trong van hoc ke tu khi no đuoc giao su William J. Rapaport tai Đai hoc tai Buffalo su dung vao nam 1972. Giao su Rapaport đa đang cau nay tren Linguist List vao nam 1992. Cau nay cung xuat hien trong mot cuon sach nam 1994 co tua đe The Language Instinct cua Steven Pinker voi vai tro nhu mot thi du ve mot cau ma "trong co ve nhu vo nghia" nhung thuc ra lai đung ngu phap. Pinker neu đich danh hoc tro cua ong, Annie Senghas, chinh la nguoi đa che tac ra cau nay.
Y nghia cua cau nay dan tro nen ro rang hon khi no đuoc hieu la thanh pho Buffalo, New York va đong tu it pho bien la "to buffalo" (co nghia la "an hiep hay bat nat"), va khi phep cham cau va ngu phap đuoc mo rong thi cau nay đuoc đoc nhu sau: "Buffalo buffalo that Buffalo buffalo buffalo, buffalo Buffalo buffalo". Nghia cua no cang ro rang hon khi cac tu đong nghia đuoc dung đe giai thich no nhu sau: "Buffalo-origin bison that other Buffalo bison intimidate, themselves bully Buffalo bison" (tam dich: "Chinh may con bo bison tai Buffalo ma bi may con bo bison tai Buffalo khac an hiep, lai an hiep may con bo bison tai Buffalo").


Giai thich Cau nay khong co cham phay va su dung ba cach đoc khac nhau cua tu "buffalo". Theo thu tu su dung ba tu "buffalo" đau tien la nhu sau:

a. thanh pho Buffalo, New York tai Hoa Ky, đuoc dung trong vai tro nhu mot danh tu phu tro đe bo nghia cho danh tu "con vat" đi sau.
n. danh tu buffalo (la mot con vat) o dang so nhieu (tuong đuong voi "buffaloes" hay "buffalos") đe tranh phai dung mao tu.
v. đong tu "buffalo" co nghia la bat nat, an hiep, lua đao, nham lan.
Đanh dau moi tu "buffalo" voi cach su dung cua no nhu đuoc mo ta o phia tren se cho ra:

Buffaloa buffalon Buffaloa buffalon buffalov buffalov Buffaloa buffalon.
Cau nay van dung cac menh đe lien ket gian luoc đuoc phep su dung trong tieng Anh – nghia la cac menh đe nay khong co cac đai tu lien ket hay cac dau lien ket khac. Nhu the đai tu lien ket that hay which đang le ra xuat hien giua chu thu hai va chu thu ba cua cau co the đuoc loai bo.
Nhu the, khi đuoc phan tich thi cau nay đuoc đoc nhu la mot loi qua quyet rang may con bo rung bison ma bi an hiep boi may con bo bison khac chinh ra cung đang an hiep may con bo rung bison (it ra tai thanh pho Buffalo – am chi thanh pho Buffalo cua tieu bang New York):

Buffalo buffalo (may con bo rung tu thanh pho Buffalo, bang New York) [that] Buffalo buffalo buffalo (ma may con bo rung tu thanh pho Buffalo, bang New York an hiep) buffalo Buffalo buffalo (đang an hiep may con bo rung tu thanh pho Buffalo, bang New York).
Cau nay co the đuoc lam cho de hieu hon bang cach thay the cac tu đong nghia nhu "bison" cho con vat "buffalo", "bully" cho đong tu "buffalo", va "New York" đe chi tieu bang cua thanh pho Buffalo:

"New York bison New York bison bully bully New York bison", hay:
"New York bison whom other New York bison bully, themselves bully New York bison".
Hay cach thay the khac van giu nguyen ten thanh pho Buffalo:

"Buffalo bison Buffalo bison bully bully Buffalo bison".


Nhan xet Thomas Tymoczko chi ra rang khong co gi đac biet đoi voi tam chu "buffalo"; bat cu cau nao co đon đoc moi tu "buffalo" đuoc lap đi lap lai voi bat cu so lan đoc nao cung đeu đung ngu phap. Cau ngan nhat la "Buffalo!", đuoc dung nhu mot cau menh lenh cach đe bat nat nguoi nao đo ("You, buffalo!") ma trong cau đo chu ngu đuoc hieu la "you" đa bi loai bo. Tymoczko su dung cau nay nhu mot thi du đe minh hoa luat rewrite trong cac ngon ngu.


Cac truong hop khac Cac tu tieng Anh khac cung co the su dung đe tao nhung cau mang tinh chat "choi" ngu phap tuong tu (du khong nhat thiet phai co nghia), tao ra mot chuoi lap lien tuc. Bat cu tu nao vua la danh tu so nhieu vua la ngoai đong tu khong bien đoi (khi chia đong tu) đeu co the lam đuoc; nhu, police (canh sat/khong che) hay dice (xuc xac/đo xuc xac).
Mot cau kha tuong tu khac va khong co dau cham cau co the ke đen la "James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher". Cau noi nhac đen mot tinh huong trong lop hoc tieng Anh co lien quan toi tu had, va co the viet lai voi cac dau cham cau nhu sau: "James, while John had had 'had', had had 'had had'; 'had had' had had a better effect on the teacher."


= Mot so vi du =
"Will Will will the will to Will?" ("Lieu Will co đinh đe lai to di chuc cho Will?". Cach khac, "Will Will will Will the will?").
"Rose rose to put rose roes on her rows of roses." (Robert J. Baran) ("Rose đung day đe bo trung ca mau hong vao hang hoa hong.").
James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher (cach khac: "James, while John had had 'had', had had 'had had'. 'Had had' had had a better effect on the teacher").
That that is is that that is not is not is that it it is (viet chinh xac la: "That that is, is. That that is not, is not. Is that it? It is").
If it is it, it is it, if it is, it is it, it is!.
Can can can can can can can can can can. (co the viet ro lai la: "Is it possible for examples of the dance that have been outshined to outshine others?" hay nhieu cach khac).
If the police police police police, who polices the police police? Police police police police police police!.


Xem them That that is is that that is not is not is that it it is.
James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher.
Thi thi thuc su su (施氏食獅史, Chuyen ong Thi an thit su tu), bai tho bang chu Han khi viet bang binh am se tro thanh toan la am "shi".


Tham khao Lien ket ngoai "Buffaloing buffalo" at Language Log, ngay 20 thang 1 nam 2005 (tieng Anh)
Easdown, David. Day nghia va cach su dung cac cau truc cau bat thuongPDF (273 KB) (tieng Anh)
Gioi thieu khai niem tren YouTube (tieng Anh)
Giai thich cau noi tren YouTube (tieng Anh)