Ich bin ein Berliner

"Ich bin ein Berliner" ("I am a Berliner") is a famous phrase from a June 26, 1963 speech by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in West Berlin. Kennedy was underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after communist East Germany had erected the Berlin Wall as a deadly barrier to its citizens escaping to the West.

"Jelly doughnut" urban legend

A common urban legend falsely asserts that Kennedy made an embarrassing grammatical error by saying "Ich bin ein Berliner," referring to himself not as a citizen of Berlin, but as a common pastry.

Related Topics:
Urban legend - Berlin

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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 "Ich bin Berliner" to mean "I am a Berliner (person from Berlin)". By adding the indefinite article ein, it is claimed, his statement implied he was a non-human Berliner, thus "I am a jelly doughnut." In the legend, the statement was followed by uproarious laughter.

Related Topics:
Berliner - Doughnut - Indefinite article

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In German, statements of origin or profession are indeed usually made without an article, thus "Ich bin Arzt" or "Ich bin Brandenburger" (I am a doctor; I am from Brandenburg). However, "Ich bin ein Arzt" or "Ich bin ein Brandenburger" is not a mistake, but a form of emphasis: it implies "just one of many." German linguist Jürgen Eichhoff insists that Kennedy's phrasing was "not only correct, but the one and only correct way of expressing in German what the President intended to say." http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/jfk_berliner_2.htm When speaking, Kennedy did indeed stress the ein.

Related Topics:
German - Linguist - Jürgen Eichhoff

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During the speech, Kennedy used the phrase twice. After he said it the first time, he was applauded, and added jokingly, "I appreciate my interpreter translating my German!" This statement was followed by laughter and applause. He also used the phrase to end his speech.

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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.

Related Topics:
Florida - 1980s - The New York Times - 1988 - BBC

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However, the legend is unknown in Germany, where Kennedy's speech is considered a landmark in German postwar history. Common souvenirs in Berlin depicting a doughnut covered with the inscription "Ich bin ein Berliner," which are often thought by American tourists to refer to this legend, represent little more than a play on words.

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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.

Related Topics:
Robert Lochner - Willy Brandt

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Kennedy did, however, pronounce the sentence with a strong Boston accent, reading from his note "ish bin ein Bearleener," which he had written out phonetically.

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