Compound color terms in Italian

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. According to our preliminary research (cf. Grossmann, 1988; D’Achille & Grossmann, 2013), in contemporary Italian compounding is the most commonly used de- vice 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.