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Article In: Comparing Constructions in Romance and Germanic Languages
Edited by Carmen Mellado Blanco and Pedro Ivorra Ordines
[Languages in Contrast 26:2] 2026
► pp. 241–278

Forms and functions of pseudo-tautologies

An overview, typology and corpus-based analysis in four languages using construction grammar approaches

 | Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This article examines pseudo-tautological constructions of the type [X COPULA X] (e.g., War is war, A deal is a deal, Kids are Kids, Boys will be boys) from a constructional and cross-linguistic perspective. Drawing on semantic, logical, and rhetorical definitions of tautology, it argues that such expressions are not semantically redundant but convey conventionalized pragmatic meanings which typically trigger implicatures such as inevitability, normativity, or evaluative stance. Adopting a usage-based Construction Grammar framework, the study treats pseudo-tautologies as schematic idioms that are idiosyncratic in terms of both form and meaning. Methodologically, the analysis combines theoretical discussion with a corpus-based investigation spanning four languages: German, English, French and Italian. Based on large web corpora, five structural subtypes are identified and classified according to formal and semantic-pragmatic criteria. Particular attention is paid to typological variation, especially the role of determiners and the availability of bare nouns, which significantly constrain the distribution and productivity of the construction across languages.
Article outline
  • 1.Preliminary remarks and introduction
  • 2.Tautologies: Semantic, logical and rhetorical premises
  • 3.Semantic and pragmatic approaches to pseudo-tautologies (equatives)
  • 4.Pseudo-tautologies in Construction Grammar und Phraseology
  • 5.A comparative linguistic analysis of the [NP1 COPULA NP1] construction
    • 5.1Type 1: ART0 N1 (Sg) COPULA(Sg) ART0 N1 (Sg)
      • German
      • English
      • French
      • Italian
    • 5.2Type 2: ART0 N1 (Pl) COPULA(Pl) ART0 N1 (Pl)
      • English
      • French
      • Italian
    • 5.3Type 3: ART (Sg) N1 (Sg) COPULA(Sg) ART (Sg) N1 (Sg)
      • German
      • English
      • French
      • Italian
        • 5.4
          • German
          • English
          • French
            • 4aLes enfants sont les enfants
            • 4cLes enfants sont des enfants
        • Italian
          • 4aLe regole sono le regole
          • 4bLe regole sono regole
    • 5.5
      • German
      • English
      • French
      • Italian
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
  • Corpora
References (69)
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