第68页 Buffalo/Antanaclasis

我看到换义长句就联想到了赵元任的"施氏食狮史". 没想到作者居然真提了. 水牛长句在此:
    "But you can go further, and a linguist at the University of Buffalo did. He worked out that if bison from his native city, who were bullied by other bison from his native city, went and took their frustration out on still other bison from his native city, then: Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. It's the longest grammatically correct sentence in the English language that uses only one word. Word buffs love it."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo

其实本篇主要解释buff为何表达类似粉丝的意思. 简略说就是, 19世纪时纽约的消防员制服是水牛皮制的, 故而消防员别称buff. 然后消防员们要好威猛好神勇阿什么的咯, 于是好多小弟弟就跟在消防员屁股后面, "哪里有火哪有我," 好哈皮噢, 1903年的纽约太阳报就把这些小弟弟也称作buff.

想起前文, 作者还提到过马来文的蝴蝶是rama-rama. 而马来文中表达复数即将名词重复, 于是一些蝴蝶就是rama-rama rama-rama. 若要加强语气, 则同样重复谓语, 故喜欢是suka, 极喜欢就是suka suka.  "我极爱蝴蝶"就是"Saya suka suka rama-rama rama-rama."

和antanaclasis没什么关系, 不过很cute. 哈哈.