Re: built-in rules

[Wolfgang Bechstein bechstein@xxxxxxxx]

flash  wrote:

> Is it hard-wired in the brain (or ontological) that 'I am a Berliner'
> mean that I come from Berlin, whereas 'Ich bin ein Berliner' means that
> I am a jelly donut?

Utter poppycock that doesn't become any truer by being endlessly bounced
about the net.

Although I was quite young at the time, I do remember hearing JFK's
speech on the radio, and neither I nor--to the best of my knowledge--the
multitudes of other native-German-speaking listeners thought for even a
minute that he had said "I am a jelly donut". His accent was pretty
thick, but the phrase itself, "Ich bin ein Berliner" was correct, both
grammatically and in the idiomatic and intended meaning of "I am a
citizen of Berlin". That there are also jelly donuts called "Berliners"
(one of my favorite types of pastry) is neither here nor there. I don't
know exactly where this urban legend originated, but anybody with a firm
grasp of German (not some half-baked notions of how language works)
could instantly refute it.

[That said, I like your web site!]

Wolfgang Bechstein
bechstein@xxxxxxxx