Editing Ho-Chunk language (section)

====== 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''-.