Ich bin ein Berliner
 

†œJelly doughnutââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ÂÂ� urban legend



A common urban legend falsely asserts that Kennedy made an embarrassing grammatical error by saying †œIch bin ein Berliner,â₠¬Â� referring to himself not as a citizen of Berlin, but as a common pastry.

Berliner is the name given to doughnuts filled with plum sauce or jam in most of Germany, though not in Berlin or the surrounding region, where they are known as Pfannkuchen. According to the legend, Kennedy should have said †œIch bin Berlinerââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ÂÂ� to mean †œI am a Berliner (person from Berlin)â₠¬ÃƒÆ’‚ÂÂÂ�. By adding the indefinite article ein, it is claimed, his statement implied he was a non-human Berliner, thus †œI am a jelly doughnut.ââ‚ ¬ÂÂÂÂ� In the legend, the statement was followed by uproarious laughter.

In German, statements of origin or profession may be made without an article, thus †œIch bin Arztââ‚ ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ�(usual) or †œIch bin Brandenburgerâ↚¬ÂÂÂÂ�(unusual) (I am a doctor; I am from Brandenburg). However, †œIch bin ein Arztââ‚ ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ�(unusual) or †œIch bin ein Brandenburgerâ↚¬ÂÂÂÂ�(usual) is also possible and not a mistake. If you add the article †œeinâà ƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ� it will be a form of emphasis: it implies †œjust one of many.ââ‚ƚ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ� In Germany it sounds weird if you say †œIch bin Berlinerââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ÂÂ�. It is indeed the case that, if you ask a †œBerlinerÃÂà ‚¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ƚÂÂ� from which town he is, he would reply †œIch bin ein Berlinerââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ÂÂ�. German linguist JÃÃâ€*’¼rgen Eichhoff insists that Kennedyââ‚à ‚¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s phrasing was †œnot only correct, but the one and only correct way of expressing in German what the President intended to say.ââ‚ ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ� [1] When speaking, Kennedy did indeed stress the ein.

During the speech, Kennedy used the phrase twice. After he said it the first time, he was applauded, and added jokingly, †œI appreciate my interpreter translating my German!ââ‚à ‚¬Ã‚ÂÂ� This statement was followed by laughter and applause. He also used the phrase to end his speech.

The urban legend apparently arose in Florida in the 1980s, culminating in an article repeating it in The New York Times in 1988. Although it has no basis in fact, the legend has since been repeated by other reputable media outlets, such as the BBC, and in books about Germany written by English-speaking authors.

However, the legend is unknown in Germany, where Kennedyââ‚à ‚¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s speech is considered a landmark in German postwar history. Common souvenirs in Berlin depicting a doughnut covered with the inscription †œIch bin ein Berliner,ââ‚ ¬ÂÂÂ� which are often thought by American tourists to refer to this legend, represent little more than a play on words.

Furthermore, the speech had been prepared by journalist Robert Lochner, who was educated in Germany, and had been practiced several times in front of numerous Germans, including Berlin Mayor Willy Brandt. The many video and audio recordings of the event show only enthusiastic applause following the statement.

Kennedy did, however, pronounce the sentence with a strong Boston accent, reading from his note †œish bin ein Bearleener,â₠¬Ã‚Â� which he had written out phonetically.

Re: Ich bin ein Berliner
 

If it is the case then it's good info-tnx. Whats your source?

Re: Ich bin ein Berliner
 

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

near the bottom

Re: Ich bin ein Berliner
 

Just a quick note- if people are going to paste entire articles here, please remember to always include a link to, or in the case of a non-web resource, the name of, the publication... just to avoid any copyright issues :)

Re: Ich bin ein Berliner
 

wikipedia articles are freely distributable, aren't they?

I think there is a bit of truth in the original story, though. I've known it since before 1988*, and it's certainly not unknown in Germany, where it is indeed thought of as an unintentional pun, hence the souvenirs. Germans do actually have a sense of humour, one not wholly unlike ours. Most Germans would think 'Berliner' means both a doughnut and an inhabitant of Berlin, as we might think a 'Yorkie' was a Yorkshireman or a chocolate bar. They wouldn't necessarily think it was the funniest gag on the planet, however.

* I'm pretty sure my Mum told me it back in the 80s when I started learning German - she's actually half-German and has spent a fair bit of time there with friends of my grandmother who stayed there when she was forced to come to the UK in 1938.

Re: Ich bin ein Berliner
 

I thought kennedy said "ich bin ein auschlander" ???????

Re: Ich bin ein Berliner
 

Never heard of that, although that means "I am a Foreigner" so would make more sense :)

Re: Ich bin ein Berliner
 

Auslander, actually ;) but he definitely said 'Berliner'.