Kennedy gave a long speech in West Germany during the cold war, but that doesn't really matter. He talked about freedom, democracy, nationalism, all that boring stuff. So Skip to the end of his speech when he delivers his famous line "Ich bin ein Berliner" (Thats German).
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| Wahwahwahwah wahwah. (Snoopy teacher voice, not in the dictionary. Sorry.) |
After Kennedy ended with his famous line "I am a Berliner", all the Germans were laughing, because "Ich bin ein Berliner" translates to "I am a jelly-filled doughnut!"
MYTH!!!!!!!!!!
According to eyewitnesses, no German tittered when the president gave his speech. Because, well, it means "I am a Berliner," and thats it! |
| Whateves. |
The people who started this myth claim that the "ein" screwed Kennedy. "Ich bin Berliner" means I am from Berlin," so adding "ein" changes the definition. It turns out its pretty much just slang. It's like saying "I am a New Yorker", even though it should be said "I am from New York." Plus Berliner isn't even the delicious pastry. Nothing even comes close to that translation.
So how was this rumor started? In a 1983 spy novel Berlin Game, where a fictional character says that Kennedy says "I am a Doughnut." Completely fictitious. Anyway the New York Times picked it up as a fact after reviewing the novel, and people who don't speak german have been quoting it ever since.
I wish I was a jelly-filled doughnut...
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