Linguist Jürgen Eichhoff laid decades of misinformation to rest with a concise grammatical analysis of Kennedy's statement in the academic journal Monatshefte in 1993. "'Ich bin ein Berliner' is not only correct," Eichhoff wrote, "but the one and only correct way of expressing in German what the President intended to say."
An actual Berliner would say, in proper German, "Ich bin Berliner." But that wouldn't have been the correct phrase for Kennedy to use. The indefinite article "ein" is required, Eichhoff explains, to express a metaphorical identification between subject and predicate. Otherwise, the speaker could be taken to say he is literally a citizen of Berlin.
To give another example, the German sentences "Er ist Politiker" and "Er ist ein Politiker" both mean "He is a politician," but they are understood by German speakers as different statements. The first means, more exactly, "He is (literally) a politician." The second means "He is (like) a politician." You would say of George W. Bush, "Er ist Politiker." But you would say of an organizationally astute coworker, "Er ist ein Politiker."
So, while the proper way for a Berlin native to say "I am a Berliner" is "Ich bin Berliner," the proper way for a non-native to make the same statement metaphorically is precisely what Kennedy said: "Ich bin ein Berliner." In spite of the fact that it's also the correct way to say "I am a jelly donut," no adult German speaker could possibly have misunderstood Kennedy's meaning in context.
The translator
The man who actually translated the words into German for JFK is was Robert Lochner, the son of Associated Press correspondent Louis P. Lochner. The younger Lochner, educated in Berlin and a fluent speaker of German, was Kennedy's official interpreter on his visit to Germany. Lochner translated the phrase on paper then rehearsed it with JFK in Berlin Mayor Willy Brandt's office right up to the moment the speech was to be delivered.
We can be thankful, in the interests of international peace and harmony, that the president was well-coached that day before addressing his audience in their native tongue. Otherwise, God forbid, he might have stood before the German people and claimed to be a croissant. Quel horreur!
Perpetuating the myth:
Following are examples of the "I'm a jelly donut" tale still making the rounds in the media and on the Internet:
- The Jelly Doughnut
Anonymous pundit says: "His slip-up was overlooked. Can you imagaine today how the media would respond if Dan Quayle tried to get away with that one?" - A Berliner Remembers...
Margit Hosseini, who heard the speech as a young girl, claims she laughed at Kennedy's reference to a "pancake." Apparently she was the only one who did. - And Yes, Even CNN...
Website Blurb: "Unfortunately he was not only saying 'I am a Berliner," he was also saying 'I am a jelly doughnut'..."
Sources and further reading:
- Text & Audio Recording of the Speech
Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library - Video of the Speech
Via YouTube - Pundits: Jelly Doughnuts for Brains?
Article from The New Generation home page - Teaching JFK German
Remembrances of Robert Lochner, Kennedy's interpreter - John F. Kennedy Bio
From the White House - About.com: German Language
An incomparable resource created by About.com Guide Hyde Flippo
