IP~Q: Indefiniteness is expressed by a special bound morpheme that usually – but not necessarily – has an etymological relationship to words meaning ‘be,’ ‘want,’ ‘maybe,’ ‘or,’ and ‘too.’
animate | inanimate | |
interrogative pronoun | ki? | mi? |
indefinite pronoun | valaki | valami |
In Hungarian, the interrogative pronouns derived from a - PFU (?PU) *ke- (?*ki-) and a PU *mɜ- stems (cf. TESz II: 480, 915‒916, UEW I: 140‒141, 296). The vala- prefix of the indefinite pronouns grammaticalized from the participle való (TESz III: 1075‒1076).