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Aut tends to join alternatives that are mutually exclusive, and when correlated (aut...aut) the one will positively exclude the other. Because the alternatives given are presented as the only alternatives, and thus the denial or falsity of one alternative necessitates the other, it often has the force of "or else".
Vel is much weaker than aut, and usually implies a choice for the reader/listener that isn't necessarily mutually exclusive or presented as a complete set of possibilities (supposedly it was an old imperative of volo). As such you can often translate it "or if you wish/prefer". It may also imply that the alternative(s) that follow are merely incidental or an afterthought; "or perhaps/or even". The alternatives may still naturally exclude each other, but the exclusion isn't emphasized as it is with aut. For these reasons vel is much more likely to concatenate a long string of alternatives than aut. The enclitic -ve is simply a less common substitute for vel. (Vel is also an adverb that means "even" or "actually", and with superlatives "the very".)
Sive (or seu) may be used singly in its most literal sense as the equivalent of vel si "or if". This is comparatively rare, however. More commonly it's found correlated sive...sive "whether...or", forming a disjunctive conditional wherein both protases are conceived of as equally likely alternatives. It may follow the form of any traditional conditional statement (future-less-vivid, contrafactual, etc.) with a verb in the proper tense and mood for each clause, or simply correlate two independent words in a single clause. It may also be correlated three or more times "whether...or...or...". Occasionally it's used singly in the same sense as vel.
Aut disce, aut discede. = "Either learn, or else [if you won't do that] get out."
Vel imperatore vel milite me utimini. = "Employ me either as general or even as just a soldier."
Sive casu sive consilio deorum... = "Whether by accident or by design of the gods..." (incomplete thought)
Aut tends to join alternatives that are mutually exclusive, and when correlated (aut...aut) the one will positively exclude the other. Because the alternatives given are presented as the only alternatives, and thus the denial or falsity of one alternative necessitates the other, it often has the force of "or else".
Vel is much weaker than aut, and usually implies a choice for the reader/listener that isn't necessarily mutually exclusive or presented as a complete set of possibilities (supposedly it was an old imperative of volo). As such you can often translate it "or if you wish/prefer". It may also imply that the alternative(s) that follow are merely incidental or an afterthought; "or perhaps/or even". The alternatives may still naturally exclude each other, but the exclusion isn't emphasized as it is with aut. For these reasons vel is much more likely to concatenate a long string of alternatives than aut. The enclitic -ve is simply a less common substitute for vel. (Vel is also an adverb that means "even" or "actually", and with superlatives "the very".)
Sive (or seu) may be used singly in its most literal sense as the equivalent of vel si "or if". This is comparatively rare, however. More commonly it's found correlated sive...sive "whether...or", forming a disjunctive conditional wherein both protases are conceived of as equally likely alternatives. It may follow the form of any traditional conditional statement (future-less-vivid, contrafactual, etc.) with a verb in the proper tense and mood for each clause, or simply correlate two independent words in a single clause. It may also be correlated three or more times "whether...or...or...". Occasionally it's used singly in the same sense as vel.
Aut disce, aut discede. = "Either learn, or else [if you won't do that] get out."
Vel imperatore vel milite me utimini. = "Employ me either as general or even as just a soldier."
Sive casu sive consilio deorum... = "Whether by accident or by design of the gods..." (incomplete thought)
