Germany Embassy, Washington, DC
Readers: On June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy electrified residents of West Berlin with a speech outlining the West’s solidarity with nations trapped by the Soviet Union.
“All free men, wherever they may live,” he said, “are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’
Did JFK made a grammatical goof? Should he have said “Ich bin Berliner?
In German, a word becomes an adjective with the addition of “er” on the end. Thus, “Berliner” means “of Berlin,” making “ein Berliner” redundant. On top of that, there’s a pastry called a Berliner. It’s a type of jelly doughnut. So that would mean Kennedy said, “I’m a Berliner.” Like “I’m a pastry.” Imagine if Kennedy had addressed an audience in Copenhagen, and instead of “I am Danish,” had said, “I am a Danish.”
History.com argues the “ein” was linguistically required. and anyway, everyone in Berlin knew what JFK meant. And grammatically correct or not, the line was momentous.
Either way, the story is a cautionary tale about using foreign phrases when you write or speak. There are nuances to translation. Handle with care. Make sure you get it right. Google Translate usually does the trick, but not always. If possible, consult someone who’s fluent or at least conversational.
Goofs can be about more than just words.
“Hispanic” and “Latin” are not the same. Hispanic refers to people who speak Spanish or whose ancestors spoke Spanish. That includes Spain, the mother country in Europe. Latin/Latino/Latina/Latinx refer to people who are from Latin America — or whose ancestors were. Not all of them speak Spanish. Just go to Rio and you’ll see.
Those of us of a certain age know that the TV comedy “I Love Lucy” was historic in many ways. One of them was the idea of a woman with a Hispanic husband who had a less-than-perfect command of English as well as a thick foreign accent. In that regard, Lucy was groundbreaking. But the writers made a mess of things in an episode called “Be a Pal.”
Lucy decides Ricky is homesick for his native Cuba. Ricky comes home one day to find a burro and a man asleep in a sombrero. The apartment is festooned with hanging colored blankets and other accoutrements. These are stereotypes not of Cuba but of Mexico!
Later, Lucy emerges as the iconic singer Carmen Miranda, she of the fruit-laden hat. But Carmen Miranda was from Brazil, and the song, “Mamãe Eu Quero,” is in not Spanish, but Brazilian Portuguese! We live in South Florida. Portuguese is not Spanish.
This was the second “I Love Lucy” episode ever to air. It seems surprising Desi “Ricky” Arnaz would allow this, since he obviously knew better. Or perhaps it was a joke on Lucy getting it wrong. But the storyline doesn’t say that. It being the politically incorrect 1950s, the show’s writers could get away with such tone-deafness. Not today.
Florida Archives
On the subject: Hispanic surnames are a minefield. Many people in Hispanic cultures use their last name, followed by their mother’s family name. For example, Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega is Daniel Ortega de Saavedra. But his last name’s Ortega, and that’s what you would use on second reference. In olden times, royals would add to their surnames the region they ruled. That’s how everyone mistakenly writes the first name of Juan Ponce de Léon as Ponce, and his surname as DeLeon. His name is Juan Ponce (pronounced PON- say.) His family ruled the duchy of Léon.
And then there’s this fun exercise:
“Principal: This morning my daughter came home to say her teacher was discussing how Americans use foreign phrases without even knowing it. What kind of chutzpah is that? Who the heck is this prima donna? Does she think she has carte blanche? And in kindergarten! How do I know she's even bona fide? I don't need her going on ad nauseam about this. And en masse to the class no less! Don't think I am accepting this as a fait accompli. It's caveat emptor, as you know, and I'm not going to let this faux pas pass. If that's your school's modus operandi, you might just find yourself persona non grata. And don't forget; you're not doing this pro bono. Everything has a quid pro quo, and I'm not going to accept the status quo on this. And I’m not just being macho.”
Watch this on video! https://youtu.be/fGW0hrWTatM
Next time: Elements of Style
Readers: "Something Went Horribly Wrong," features samples of bad writing we see nearly every day. You can participate! Be our duly deputized “grammar police:” Your motto: “To protect and correct.” Send in your photos of store signs, street signs, newspaper headlines, tweets, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical error. It can be just what we call “cowardly writing.” Include your name and home town so we properly can credit you. You're free to add a comment, although we reserve the right to edit or omit. Now get out there! Send to Eliot@eliotkleinberg.com
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