%0 Thesis
%A Korobzow, Natalie
%+ Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
%T Split Ergativity in Ch’orti’ Maya: A Contribution to a Diachronic Typology of Alignment Change
 : 
%G eng
%U https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0011-13C2-C
%D 2025
%V phd
%9 phd
%X This dissertation provides a new historical explanation for the alignment split and the third set of indexes ("set C") in Ch’orti’ Maya. Using the historical-comparative method and diachronic typological analysis, this study challenges existing theories that derive set C from set A and instead proposes that set C originates from set B in its use as part of the independent pronoun paradigm, which is attested in Hieroglyphic Maya. On the typological side, the thesis highlights the role of discourse-driven syntactic reanalysis in the development of alignment systems and demonstrates how focus structures can serve as a bridge for the evolution of grammar.