Old and New Intensifying Prefixes in Italian: The Case of uber-

Abstract

This study offers the first description of the prefix uber- in Italian. Through a dual methodology combining a corpus-based analysis with a questionnaire administered to 440 native speakers, we highlight that uber- can be considered as an emerging intensifying strategy in Italian, aligning with its established role as an intensifying prefix in other languages, such as English and Hungarian. More specifically, both the corpus-based analysis and the results of the questionnaire demonstrate that uber- is primarily used to intensify (animated) nouns and adjectives in colloquial contexts. The questionnaire also reveals that, when given the choice of using uber- or other intensive disyllabic prefixes to express the highest degree of intensity, speakers tend to prefer other prefixes (mainly super- and mega-), rarely opting for uber-. Therefore, uber- does not currently function as an over-the-top intensifier in Italian, as it does in English and other European languages.

Publication History:
submitted: 21 April 2025
first review: 5 June 2025
second review: 21 June 2025
accepted: 15 July 2025
published: 1 October 2025