A minor correction to Liz's post: the 'u' of 'uber' would be  
pronounced 'oo' like 'zoo' without the umlaut. We see this in words  
like 'Fuss' (foot) and names like 'Huber' (in German). With the  
umlaut, it is in fact the same sound as the French 'u', which is an  
English 'ee' sound pronounced with the lips rounded. We don't have  
this sound in English, but the way most Americans pronounce 'zoo' and  
similar words is actually pretty close to the German 'u' with umlaut.  
(Oh, the umlaut is the two little dots above a vowel.)

If a 'u' precedes a double consonant in German, it is pronounced like  
the 'oo' of 'book', as in 'Mutter' (mother). To my recollection,  
German does not have a vowel like that of 'utter'.

Dr. Johanna Rubba, Ph. D.
Associate Professor, Linguistics
Linguistics Minor Advisor
English Dept.
Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Ofc. tel. : 805-756-2184
Dept. tel.: 805-756-2596
Dept. fax: 805-756-6374
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba

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