Buffalo buffalo buffalo: One-word sentences and how they work - Emma Bryce

譯者: Ming Gui Tan 審譯者: May Wu

You may think you know the words that sit plainly in black on your page,

你可能覺得你 了解書面上的字

but don't be fooled.

但別太輕易相信。

Some words are capable of taking on different guises,

有些字非常善變，

masquerading as nouns, verbs and adjectives

偽裝成名詞， 動詞或形容詞

that alter their meanings entirely.

各持有完全不同的意思。

This seeming superpower is called lexical ambiguity.

這種超能力我們稱作 詞彙歧義。

It can turn words and sentences into mazes that mess with our minds.

它可以把字句轉變成迷宮 擾亂我們的思維。

For example, consider the following:

好比這個句子：

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

水牛水牛水牛水牛 水牛水牛水牛水牛。

That may sound like nonsense,

聽起來好像 毫無意義，

but it's actually a grammatically correct sentence.

但事實上是語法正確的句子。

How? Well, Buffalo is proper noun, a noun, and a verb.

怎麼說呢？水牛同時是專有名詞， 名詞和動詞。

It refers to an animal also known as a bison,

這單字指的是 美洲水牛，

an American city,

美國的一個州屬，

and it can also mean to bully.

也可以是欺負的意思。

These different interpretations create a sequence of words

這三種意思 形成一連串

that is grammatically correct as it stands,

本質上語法正確 的句子，

though it helps to add in a few implied phrases

雖然加上一些暗示性詞語

and punctuation marks to reveal what's really going on.

和標點符號 會讓人更清楚它的意思。

Buffalo buffalo are bison from the city of Buffalo,

『水牛水牛』指的是來自 水牛城的水牛，

and this sentence has three groups of them.

而這句就有三組 水牛城的水牛。

Group A, which is bullied by Group B, bullies Group C.

被B組欺負的A組欺負C組。

In other words, bison from Buffalo that other bison from Buffalo bully

換句話說，被另一隻水牛城的水牛欺負的 水牛城水牛

also bully bison from Buffalo.

也欺負另一隻來自水牛城的水牛。

If you let each buffalo perform its role, the meaning becomes apparent.

如果每一隻水牛都扮演好自己的角色 那這句話就更清楚不過了。

What if the bunch of bullying buffalo decides to cross the ocean?

如果這一群霸道的水牛 遠渡重洋呢？

Not just on any ship,

那如果搭的不是一般的航船，

but a ship-shipping ship shipping shipping-ships?

而是一艘運載著貨船 的運載船的船？

That sentence sounds just as outrageous, but there's logic to the babble.

儘管這句話令人發瘋， 但其實亂中有序。

Ship can mean a vessel and to transport.

船(ship)可以是船隻也可以是運載。

When we sub in those meanings, a clearer picture emerges.

當我們加以解釋， 整句話就更清楚了。

Here we have a huge ship-carrying vessel

我們有個巨大運載航船的船隻

transporting ships that themselves are designed to carry goods across the sea.

運載著本身能夠運貨的船隻 遠渡重洋。

A ship-shipping ship, shipping shipping-ships.

運載著貨船 的運載船的船。

How about some entertainment on board this unusual vessel

那如果在這船上再加上 一些娛樂

to offset the scuffling buffalo?

來平衡一下 這群調皮水牛？

Consider the can-can.

來看看 可以-可以吧！

Can-can can-can can can can can can-can.

可以-可以可以-可以可以可以 可以可以可以-可以。

Here, the word can comes in many guises.

在這裡， 這個字有帶著很多意思。

There's can-can, the flamboyant dance,

當中有康康舞（可以-可以）， 一種華麗的舞蹈，

can, that means able to,

可以，代表能夠，

and can, figuratively meaning to outperform.

還有可以帶有超越的意思。

By sticking in a comma and including the implied meanings,

帶入逗號 和言下之意之後，

this sentence becomes clearer.

這句話的意思 便顯而易見。

Can-can dances that can-can dances are able to outperform,

康康舞者跳得康康舞 能夠表現特出，

can also outperform other can-can dances.

也能夠超越其他的康康舞。

You wouldn't necessarily use any of these sentences in a conversation.

你在日常言談中 不一定會用到這些句子。

They're just too ridiculous.

它們實在太扯了。

Yet they serve as an extreme example

然而它們是 日常言談

on just how tangled everyday language can be.

可以變得多拗口 的極端例子。

Lexical ambiguities sail into our speech and writing all the time,

詞彙歧義常在我們的言談 和文筆中神出鬼沒，

spreading confusion and misunderstanding wherever they can-can.

帶來疑惑和誤會， 只要它們能夠超越（可以-可以）。