әллә

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”).

әллә • (ällä)

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

әллә • (ällä) (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.

   Ällä yamğır, ällä 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, ällä beðgä manqort bulırğa yaðğanmı?

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

әллә • (ällä)

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

   Әллә кем

   Ällä kem

   Somebody.

   Әллә ҡайҙа

   Ällä qayða

   Somewhere.