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There are thousands of these stories which are so commonly repeated that most people refuse to accept them as myths. See also JFK's famous "Ich bin ein Berline

There are thousands of these stories which are so commonly repeated that most people refuse to accept them as myths. See also JFK's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, which is often (falsely) claimed to be German for "I'm a Jelly Donut". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner#Jelly_doughnut_misconception http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner#Jelly_doug...

PaulAJ 13y ago
Not really. Its like he went to Hamburg and said "I'm a Hamburger".
Scramblejams 13y ago
Some years ago I had a native German explain to me that what JFK said really did mean "I'm a jelly donut," and he should have said "Ich bin Berliner." So YMMV.
- nextstep 13y ago
  Did you look at the link above from Wikipedia? They mention that supposed grammatical error: >>"Ich bin ein Berliner" was not only correct, but the only way to express what the President wanted to say.
  - Scramblejams 13y ago
    Yes. And it's nice for a sterile Wikipedia page to offer the idea that there was only one way for JFK to say it, and that he did it correctly. However! What I supplied was (one anecdote of) the reaction of a native German speaker who heard the line themselves. Their reaction was in line with the supposed myth. So no matter how smugly people today might denounce that as a myth, there were those in the intended audience whose reactions were exactly in line with the supposed myth. Which, of course, makes it not so much of a myth.
bruceb 13y ago
This is covered in the Cracked podcast titled Flashbulb Memories https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cracked-podcast/id689900475 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cracked-podcast/id68... I just discovered them last week. Worth a listen
phreeza 13y ago
Claiming that it means "I am a Jelly Donut" is not false, just claiming that it doesn't also mean "I am from Berlin". It has both meanings.
- lukifer 13y ago
  Eddie Izzard made the best comparison to help it click: if a resident of Frankfurt were to hear "I am a Frankfurter", it still makes perfect sense, even if it also means "I am a hot dog".
  - mikeash 13y ago
    Funny how it works perfectly fine for "I am a Frankfurter," but I can't see it working for "I am a Wiener."
    - comrade_ogilvy 13y ago
      A Wiener might be a person from Wien, Osterreich (which translates to Vienna, Austria in English).
      - mikeash 13y ago
        I know, but at least when rendered in English, "I am a Wiener" does not work to indicate a city.
        dublinben 13y ago
        The correct English transliteration would be more like "vienner" which pretty closely follows the common English practice of adding an -er suffix to denote someone's place of origin. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/er_4 http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/er_4
    - dublinben 13y ago
      Unsurprisingly, wieners are called frankfurters in Wien (Vienna). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiener_W%C3%BCrstchen https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiener_W%C3%BCrstchen

PaulAJ 13y ago

Not really. Its like he went to Hamburg and said "I'm a Hamburger".

Scramblejams 13y ago

Some years ago I had a native German explain to me that what JFK said really did mean "I'm a jelly donut," and he should have said "Ich bin Berliner." So YMMV.

nextstep 13y ago
Did you look at the link above from Wikipedia? They mention that supposed grammatical error: >>"Ich bin ein Berliner" was not only correct, but the only way to express what the President wanted to say.
- Scramblejams 13y ago
  Yes. And it's nice for a sterile Wikipedia page to offer the idea that there was only one way for JFK to say it, and that he did it correctly. However! What I supplied was (one anecdote of) the reaction of a native German speaker who heard the line themselves. Their reaction was in line with the supposed myth. So no matter how smugly people today might denounce that as a myth, there were those in the intended audience whose reactions were exactly in line with the supposed myth. Which, of course, makes it not so much of a myth.

bruceb 13y ago

This is covered in the Cracked podcast titled Flashbulb Memories https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cracked-podcast/id689900475 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cracked-podcast/id68... I just discovered them last week. Worth a listen

phreeza 13y ago

Claiming that it means "I am a Jelly Donut" is not false, just claiming that it doesn't also mean "I am from Berlin". It has both meanings.

lukifer 13y ago
Eddie Izzard made the best comparison to help it click: if a resident of Frankfurt were to hear "I am a Frankfurter", it still makes perfect sense, even if it also means "I am a hot dog".
- mikeash 13y ago
  Funny how it works perfectly fine for "I am a Frankfurter," but I can't see it working for "I am a Wiener."
  - comrade_ogilvy 13y ago
    A Wiener might be a person from Wien, Osterreich (which translates to Vienna, Austria in English).
    - mikeash 13y ago
      I know, but at least when rendered in English, "I am a Wiener" does not work to indicate a city.
      - dublinben 13y ago
        The correct English transliteration would be more like "vienner" which pretty closely follows the common English practice of adding an -er suffix to denote someone's place of origin. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/er_4 http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/er_4
  - dublinben 13y ago
    Unsurprisingly, wieners are called frankfurters in Wien (Vienna). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiener_W%C3%BCrstchen https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiener_W%C3%BCrstchen