Don’t mess with ergatives! How the borrowing of the Spanish indefinite article affects the split-ergative system of Chamorro

Abstract

Abstract This paper seeks to determine in which way the introduction of the Spanish indefinite article un into the determiner system of Chamorro interferes with the inherited definiteness-based ergative split of the recipient language. It is argued that modern Chamorro employs Spanish-derived un as an indefinite article to introduce new discourse participants with relatively high topicality which are specific-referential. The employment of un in this function makes it possible to differentiate formally between two types of indefiniteness (the pre-Spanish zero article being responsible for non-specific, non-referential new discourse participants with low topicality).