Conditional constructions in Lopit, an Eastern Nilotic language

Abstract

Lopit is an Eastern Nilotic language of South Sudan. It has a number of ways of expressing conditionals. The most common way involves the use of the subordinate clause marker l- on the clause-initial verb which introduces the protasis. This marker is also used in other clauses which are not conditionals. There is also the conjunction lojo, ‘if, when’, which can introduce the protasis. Another method is the use of the irrealis, the conditional and the potential mode of the verb in the protasis. The first method appears not to be used in other Eastern Nilotic languages.