Reduplicative constructions and snowclones

Abstract This article presents a contrastive corpus-based analysis of the English construction [ once a N 1 , always a N 1 ] and its German counterpart [ einmal N 1 , immer N 1 ]. Drawing on Cognitive Construction Grammar, it argues that both patterns can be analyzed both as reduplicative constructional idioms and as snowclones. The study is based on data from the enTenTen18 and deTenTen23 corpora available through Sketch Engine. Its main aims are to assess the productivity of the two constructions and to compare their syntagmatic profiles.