Editing Ho-Chunk language (section)

===== Person prefixes =====
Ho-Chunk verbs are inflected with eight pronominal categories marked for [[Grammatical person|person]] and [[clusivity]].<ref name=":02"/> Ho-Chunk is a [[pro-drop language]]; pronouns are used very infrequently, and information on grammatical person is found on the verb in the form of one or more [[prefix]]es.
# First person singular (abbreviated 1SG)
# Second person singular (abbreviated 2SG)
# Third person singular (abbreviated 3SG)
# First person dual inclusive (abbreviated 1IN.DU)
# First person inclusive plural (abbreviated 1IN.PL)
# First person exclusive plural (abbreviated 1EX.PL)
# Second person plural (abbreviated 2PL)
# Third person plural (abbreviated 3PL)

====== Person marking in transitive verbs ======
Ho-Chunk's [[Transitive verb|transitive]] verbs are inflected with [[Agent (grammar)|agent]] (actor) and [[Patient (grammar)|patient]] (undergoer) [[pronominal]]s. The generic paradigm of the pronominal prefixes in transitive verbs<ref name=":02"/> is outlined below. The letter V stands in the place of the [[verb stem]].:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="4" colspan="4" |
! colspan="8" | Patient
|-
! colspan="4" | 1st person
! colspan="2" | 2nd person
! colspan="2" | 3rd person
|-
! rowspan="2" | {{small|singular}}
! {{small|dual}}
! colspan="2" | {{small|plural}}
! rowspan="2" | {{small|singular}}
! rowspan="2" | {{small|plural}}
! rowspan="2" | {{small|singular}}
! rowspan="2" | {{small|plural}}
|-
! {{gcl|INCL}}
! {{gcl|INCL}}
! {{gcl|EXCL}}
|-
! rowspan="8" {{vert header|va=middle|Actor}}
! rowspan="4" | 1st person
! colspan="2" | {{small|singular}}
| 
| 
| 
| 
| nįį-V
| nįį-V-wi
| ∅-ha-V
| wa-ha-V
|-
! {{small|dual}}
! {{gcl|INCL}}
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| hį-∅-V
| hį-wa-V
|-
! rowspan="2" | {{small|plural}}
! {{gcl|INCL}}
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| hį-∅-V-wi
| hį-wa-V-wi
|-
! {{gcl|EXCL}}
| 
| 
| 
| 
| nįį-V-wi
| nįį-V-wi
| ∅-ha-V-wi
| wa-ha-V-wi
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2nd person
! colspan="2" | {{small|singular}}
| hį-ra-V
| 
| 
| hį-ra-V-wi
| 
| 
| ∅-ra-V
| wa-ra-V
|-
! colspan="2" | {{small|plural}}
| hį-ra-V-wi
| 
| 
| hį-ra-V-wi
| 
| 
| ∅-ra-V-wi
| wa-ra-V-wi
|-
! rowspan="2" | 3rd person
! colspan="2" | {{small|singular}}
| hį-∅-V
| wąąga-∅-V
| wąąga-∅-V-wi
| hį-∅-V-wi
| nį-∅-V
| nį-∅-V-wi
| ∅-∅-V
| wa-∅-V
|-
! colspan="2" | {{small|plural}}
| hį-V-ire
| wąąga-V-ire
| wąąga-V-ire-wi
| hį-V-ire-wi
| nį-V-ire
| nį-V-ire-wi
| ∅-V-ire
| wa-V-ire
|}

In this table, the null symbol (∅) is used to represent all third person singular actor and patient pronominals.  It indicates that there is no overt prefix for those pronominals (in other words, that they are [[null morpheme]]s).  Some cells are left blank because there are no pronominal affixes associated with that particular person/number combination.  In cases like these, the action is [[Reflexive verb|reflexive]] (i.e. I do something to myself, or you (plural) do something to yourselves).  Reflexivity in Ho-Chunk is indicated with another prefix, ''kii''-.

The sounds in the prefixes run together in casual speech, often leading to the deletion of the /h/ consonant and thus a long vowel or [[diphthong]].  This is evident in the example ''waakere'' 'I put them (standing)', in which the third person plural patient prefix ''wa''- merges with the first person actor prefix ''ha''-, producing ''waa''-.

====== Person marking in intransitive verbs ======
Ho-Chunk's [[Intransitive verb|intransitive]] verbs fall into three main types: intransitive [[Active verb|active]] verbs, intransitive [[Stative verb|stative]] verbs, and intransitive 'third person-only' verbs.<ref name=":02"/>

Intransitive active verbs are those which involve only human or animate agent(s). An example is ''šgaac'' 'play', which is inflected for person and number as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Person and number marking paradigm 
for intransitive action verb ''šgaac''
!
!
!Ho-Chunk verb
!Translation
|-
! rowspan="8" |Agent
!1SG
|hašgac (ha-šgac)
|'I play'
|-
!2SG
|rašgac (ra-šgac)
|'you play'
|-
!3SG
|šgaac (∅-šgac)
|'he or she plays'
|-
!1IN.DU
|hįšgac (hį-šgac)
|'you and I play'
|-
!1IN.PL
|hįšgacwi (hį-šgac-wi)
|'we (inclusive) play'
|-
!1EX.PL
|hašgacwi (ha-šgac-wi)
|'we (exclusive) play'
|-
!2PL
|rašgacwi (ra-šgac-wi)
|'you (plural) play'
|-
!3PL
|šgaacire (šgaac-ire)
|'they play'
|}
Intransitive stative verbs involve an action affecting a patient.  This is characteristic of the verb ''š'aak'' 'to be old':
{| class="wikitable"
|+Person and number marking paradigm
for intransitive stative verb ''š'aak''
!
!
!Ho-Chunk verb
!Translation
|-
! rowspan="8" |Patient
!1SG
|hįš'ak (hį-š'ak)
|'I am old'
|-
!2SG
|nįš'ak (nį-š'ak)
|'you are old'
|-
!3SG
|š'aak (∅-š'aak)
|'he or she is old'
|-
!1IN.DU
|wąągaš'ak (wąąga-š'ak)
|'you and I are old'
|-
!1IN.PL
|wąągaš'akwi (wąąga-š'ak-wi)
|'we (inclusive) are old'
|-
!1EX.PL
|hįš'akwi (hį-š'ak-wi)
|'we (exclusive) are old'
|-
!2PL
|nįš'akwi (nį-š'ak-wi)
|'you (plural) are old'
|-
!3PL
|š'aakire (š'aak-ire)
|'they are old'
|}
Intransitive third-person-only verbs designate states and properties of mostly inanimate things, such as "(to) be delicious" or "(to) be expensive".  They can only be inflected for third person singular or third person plural subjects (e.g. ''ceexi'' (∅-ceexi) 'it is expensive' or ''ceexire'' (ceexi-ire) 'they are expensive').