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eo: Ich bin ein Berliner
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eo and bin
eo and Berliner
Ich and bin
" Ich bin ein Berliner " (, " I am a Berliner ") is a quotation from a June 26, 1963, speech by U. S. President John F. Kennedy in West Berlin.
The Ich bin ein Berliner speech is in part derived from a speech Kennedy gave at a Civic Reception on May 4, 1962, in New Orleans ; there also he used the phrase civis Romanus sum by saying " Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was to say, " I am a citizen of Rome.
The speech first culminated with the first of two mentions of the Ich bin ein Berliner phrase: " Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is Ich bin ein Berliner!
There is a misconception that Kennedy made a risible error by saying Ich bin ein Berliner ( emphasis added ): the claim is made that Kennedy referred to himself not as a " citizen of Berlin " but as a " jelly doughnut ", known in parts of Germany as a " Berliner ".
Kennedy should, supposedly, have said Ich bin Berliner to mean " I am a person from Berlin ", and so adding the indefinite article ein to his statement implied he was a non-human Berliner, thus, " I am a jelly doughnut ".
Since the President was not literally from Berlin but only declaring his solidarity with its citizens, " Ich bin ein Berliner " was correct.
Besides a direct quote there exist many variations starting " Ich bin ein (+ noun, e. g., Frankfurter )" that is supposed to be understood by the primarily English-speaking audience based on the widespread knowledge of this German phrase and its myth.
Ich and ein
But I usually stick to the old phrase: ' Ich habe ein Amt, aber keine Meinung ( I hold an office, but I do not feel entitled to have an opinion ).
bin and ein
Kennedy used the phrase twice in his speech, ending with it, and pronouncing the sentence with his Boston accent, reading from his note " ish bin ein Bearleener ", which he had written out in English phonetics.
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