Why didn't we simply use the word "over" instead.
Does using a foreign word in our own language make us sound more intelligent?
2007-01-20 03:47:28 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Deutschland Deutschland...UEBER...alles.lol
Must have been a Kraut that started all this....just like FAHRVERGNUEGEN
2007-01-20 06:25:52 · answer #1 · answered by Einstein 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
English is kind of the bastard child of all the other Indo-European languages. Although its roots are Germanic, it borrows a lot. And the reason any new word catches on is the same. It's cultural. It gets used on T.V. or in a high school and it spreads.
The German uber (with oomlauts) does mean over. But it's more nuanced than that. Think of it like the English "extra." Extraordinary doesn't mean more ordinary, but "extra long" does mean more long, in a way.
Sorry I don't know exactly when this word became fashionable.
2007-01-20 03:57:45 · answer #2 · answered by andy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some Germans are moaning about the use of English/American expressions in their language too, and there it really is a problem, especially since the English words are so particularly unsuited to be put through the German cases and tenses...
The reason is the same, many people think it's "cool" to use foreign words.
2007-01-20 05:48:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that it became popular a couple of years ago (2005). I think that it means super. I don't know why we don't use super instead of uber. Using a foreign word in our own language does not make us sound more intelligent. It's silly. I never use uber.
2007-01-20 03:52:31 · answer #4 · answered by Philippe 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The word über comes from the German language.
It is a cognate of both Latin super and Greek ύπερ (hyper), as well as English over (as in "overkill").
During the 2000s, über also became a synonym for super; e.g. übercool = supercool, generally with a slightly intensified meaning. Über is commonly written as uber in English, though with slightly different meaning.
The normal transliteration for the 'ü'-Umlaut when changing from German would be ue, not just 'u'; however, it could be argued that the American English use of the word uber is a new word distinct from ueber. This is because English is defined by common use of words, which dictionaries and academia record, not the reverse. The use of 'ü', 'u', and 'ue' in the word is an emerging trend in common usage with no clear consensus.
In German, über is used as a prefix as well as a separate word. In the latter case, it may be a preposition or an adverb depending on context. Eg. über etwas sprechen - speak about something, über die Brücke - over the bridge, übernehmen - take over (nehmen = take).
Über also translates to over, above and super. The actual translation depends on context. One example would be the term Übermensch from Friedrich Nietzsche, which translates to super human or superman (literally "overhuman"). It is assumed that it is via this translation that the word über entered the English vocabulary.
Read about the term Übermensch:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cbermensch
Über is a gaming term for a player or object that is considered superior, For example, a player who has accumulated the most points, rare and advanced weapons, tools, clothing, or spells available in a game could be referred to as über. Rare or powerful items themselves are also frequently called über. Something does not even have to be a tangible object to be considered über; for example, a player could use an "über strategy" or "über hax." The word is used fairly frequently in MMORPG computer games.
Due to fast growth in popularity, über is also often applied to everyday things. For example, if a high school freshman (American)(typically a ninth grader) were to show qualities that are "un-freshmanlike" or generally attributed to juniors or seniors (typically eleventh graders and twelfth graders, respectively), such as a thorough understanding of trigonometry and/or calculus, the person might be referred to as an "über-freshman." In this sense, it is identical to the common usage in gaming.
The word über is also frequently used in the Information Technology profession due in part to its prolific usage in gaming. An extremely powerful web server for instance could be referred to as being 'just über', the phrase lending its name to a linux blog/search engine.
2007-01-21 13:15:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have noticed that 'uber' and 'mega' have found their way into our language but neither is used correctly and I think it sounds stupid. Uber is the German word for over and mega is a prefix that means one million.
2007-01-20 04:00:21 · answer #6 · answered by xox_bass_player_xox 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The German word for sure is Sicher The German word for yes is Ja The German word for yeah is Ja also.. Hope i have helped
2016-05-24 00:51:00 · answer #7 · answered by Delores 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most of our words have come from other languages and we have adapted them for ours. That's why so many words sound similar in many languages.
2007-01-20 04:12:05 · answer #8 · answered by Karen About Others 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe I first heard it applied to Claudia Schiffer, as in "uber model".
2007-01-20 03:56:34 · answer #9 · answered by Feathery 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I like Philippe's use of 'super' as if it were more English than 'ueber'. Super is Latin for 'above'. So, if he's happy to admit 'super' to our language, why not 'ueber'?
2007-01-20 05:10:10 · answer #10 · answered by JJ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Doesn't everyone want to sound intelligent. Besides I use it cause I think it sounds fun.
2007-01-20 04:57:08 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋