In fact, Kennedy's statement is both grammatically correct[4] and perfectly idiomatic, and would not be misunderstood in context. The indefinite article ein can be and often is omitted when speaking of an individual's profession or residence but is necessary when speaking in a figurative sense as Kennedy did. Since the president was not literally from Berlin but only declaring his solidarity with its citizens, "Ich bin Berliner" would not have been correct.
This is correct. "Ich bin Berliner" would not have been correct in this context, since it wasn't meant literally (obviously), but in a figurative way.
In fact, the opposite is true: The citizens of Berlin do refer to themselves as Berliner; what they do not refer to as Berliner are jelly doughnuts. While these are known as "Berliner" in other areas of Germany, they are simply called Pfannkuchen (pancakes) in and around Berlin.[9] Thus the merely theoretical ambiguity went unnoticed by Kennedy's audience, as it did in Germany at large. In sum, "Ich bin ein Berliner" was the appropriate way to express in German what Kennedy meant to say.[10]
This is also correct: the citizens of Berlin refer to themselves as "Berliner", but they refer to the pastry as "Pfannkuchen" (pankake).
In the rest of Germany, a Pfannkuchen is something very different (a pancake is for us the same thing as it is for you), and the jelly-filled pastry is called a "Berliner", like I already said. Citizens from Berlin are also referred to as "Berliner".
It depends on the context which "Berliner" is meant. Hence, for the Kennedy-story, both things mentioned are correct: nobody was confused about which "Berliner" Kennedy meant, everybody understood the context.
But at the same time, it really IS funny for us, and it evokes thoughts of the pastry.
So many years have gone by, I wasn't even born in 1963, but I sometimes say "Ich bin ein Berliner" with Kennedy's pronounciation, when eating a Berliner (the pastry of course
).
It goes even further: in German, we have also:
- Frankfurter (from Frankfurt)
- Hamburger (from Hamburg)
- Amerikaner (from the US)
- Wiener (from Wien=Vienna)
All those things refer to people coming from the respective city (or country) - but at the same time are names of food.
So, when I'm in a good mood, I can bite into a hamburger and declare with Kennedy-pronounciation: "Ich bin ein Hamburger." Everybody will understand the reference and laugh. I can even say "Ich bin ein Berliner" while biting into a Hamburger/Amerikaner/etc.
(And then there are "Pariser" (from Paris). A Pariser is a - wait for it - a condom! Yep!
)
So the Kennedy dictum is very, very famous. And funny.
I'll get back at you later with the "Ich".
