Färgen grå och grå som efterled i sammansättningar i SAOB

Abstract

Grey means movement, that the room in whieh you lind yourself isa placc for transport and flux, commented
an art historian on the oceasion of the inauguration of the Metro in Copenhagen in 2002. The
article grå (grey) in SAOB, written in 1929, mentions ashes, unpainted buildings, old age, lack of cleanliness
and the colour is deseribcd as dusky, lifclcss, shabby, etc. Apparently, there has been a ehange
in the attitude toward and the eonception of thc colour grey. In this article grå (grey) as last element in
compounds in SAOB is studied. Examples from SAOB and modem concordanccs are prcsentcd, various
types of definitions arc comparcd and an attempt lo systcmatizc the actual writing of the definition
of the word timmergrå (timber-grey) is made. The modern usage of -grå in words sueh as forortsgrå,
välfärdsgrå is diseussed This usage is quite produetivc in newspaper text.