The present paper is dedicated to compound color terms in Italian. The aim is to give a descriptive overview of the characteristics of the individual compounding patterns both from the synchronic and the diachronic point of view. In contemporary Italian compounding is the most commonly used device for enlarging the inventory of color terms. Data from corpora show that we are dealing with constructions at the crossroads between word-formation and syntax, i.e., between compounding proper and asyndetic coordination. From a diachronic point of view, we have ascertained that compound color terms appear with a certain frequency only from the 18th century onwards; in earlier times they are attested only by a few examples and in a limited number of patterns.
D'Achille, P., Maria, G. (2019). Compound color terms in Italian. In K.D. Raffaelli I. (a cura di), Lexicalization patterns in color naming: a cross-linguistic perspective (pp. 61-82). Amsterdam : John Benjamins.
Compound color terms in Italian
Paolo D'Achille
;
2019-01-01
Abstract
The present paper is dedicated to compound color terms in Italian. The aim is to give a descriptive overview of the characteristics of the individual compounding patterns both from the synchronic and the diachronic point of view. In contemporary Italian compounding is the most commonly used device for enlarging the inventory of color terms. Data from corpora show that we are dealing with constructions at the crossroads between word-formation and syntax, i.e., between compounding proper and asyndetic coordination. From a diachronic point of view, we have ascertained that compound color terms appear with a certain frequency only from the 18th century onwards; in earlier times they are attested only by a few examples and in a limited number of patterns.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
