Re: What counts as a basic color word?

In a message dated 4/4/2003 12:59:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
langs@QUANDARY.ORG writes:


> Or maybe color words could only take -en up to the point when green and
> yellow were added?  I can't help noticing that the three that do take it -
> redden, whiten, blacken - are the Primal Three.
>
> No, that's probably not it.  But disproof would be welcome.
>
> Amanda
>
I recall reading somewhere that whether an English adjective can form a
derivative with -en depends both on the final phoneme of the adjective and on
something about the meaning of the adjective.  If only I could remember where
I read that and what the details were . . .

Doug