Your discussion about colours makes me remember a
theory I once read. According to this theory, all languages develop colour names
in the same order. First, there are no colour names, just words for "light" and
"dark". Then they get red, which always is the first colour. Then a common
word for blue and green. Then yellow. Then blue-green splits into separate words
for blue and green. Etc..
Has anyone else heard this? Is this
credible?
Hakan.