әллә

Bashkir

Etymology

Compare to equivalent conjunctions/determiners with similar functions: Tatar әллә (ällä), Kazakh әлде (älde), Kyrgyz алда (alda); also a component in indefinite pronouns: Uzbek allakim (“somebody”), Uyghur ئەللىكىم (ellikim, “somebody”).

Interjection

әллә • (əllə)

1. (in dialog, as response) I don't know, it is not known

Conjunction

әллә • (əllə) (implies uncertainty)

1. maybe…or maybe; either…or (repeated, normally twice; introduces two or more alternative words, phrases, clauses, etc. each of which could make a passage true)

   Әллә ямғыр, әллә ҡар яуа.

   Əllə yamğır, əllə qar yawa.

   It is maybe raining or snowing (I don't know, it is difficult to say, it is not immediately clear).

2. or (connects two interrogative clauses)

   Донъяны көнбайышлаштырыуға алмаш бармы, әллә беҙгә манҡорт булырға яҙғанмы?

   Donʺyanı könbayışlaştırıwğa almaş barmı, əllə beźgə manqort bulırğa yaźğanmı?

   Is there an alternative to the westernization of the world, or are we destined to become mankurts (people deprived of their ethnic identities)?

Determiner

әллә • (əllə)

1. a component used to form indefinite pronouns, equivalent to English some

   Әллә кем ― Əllə kem ― Somebody.

   Әллә ҡайҙа ― Əllə qayźa ― Somewhere.