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2.6.6.1 Universal pronouns
quickinfo

The pronouns älk (or: älkuneen) ‘everybody’ and aal (or the German loan alles) are indeclinable.

1
Hier koant sik älk un een. ‘Everyone knows one another here.’
2
Dät is aal, wät iek häbe. ‘That’s all I have.’

The expression aan foar uur (literally: ‘one for another’) is synonymous with älk ‘everybody’: aan foar uur wüül dät dwo ‘everyone wants to do that’. The construction do ganse (Nomen) (literally: ‘the whole (names)’) can be used in a universal sense (‘all names’), e.g.: wie häbe do ganse(n) seelterske(n) Nomen fon alle Familien touhope soacht ‘we have collected all Sater Frisian family names’.

The prenominal quantifier aal/alle is declinable, be it that the neuter form aal is not really used prenominally. Instead, a predeterminer aal is always combined with the definite article. This strategy is also popular with non-neuter nouns.

3
Hie koande alle Düwels. ‘He knew all devils.’
4
Aal dät Lound stoant unner Woater. ‘All fields (lit.: ‘all the land’) was under water.’
5
Aal do Dele fon ’t Lound. ‘All parts of the country.’

The quantifier älke is indeclinable, in principle. (However, today some speakers decline älk(e) like a regular adjective.)

6
In älke Huus. ‘In very house.’
7
Älk Jier. ‘Every year.’

Indeclinable aal and älk are also used as floating quantifiers:

8
Wän dät aal kloor was. ‘When all of that was finished.’
9
Wän die Bisäik aal deer was. ‘When the visitors were all present.’
10
Twäin fon do Mistjonere drougen älk ‘n Lucht. ‘Two of the acolites each carried a candle.’

Floating aal can be used independently.

11
Aal man stil. ‘Be quiet now, all of you (or: you all).’
12
Foar aal kon naan Moanske nit suurgje. ‘Nobody can take care of all people.’
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