Hmong Studies Journal (Jul 2020)
An Explanation of the Logic of Hmong RPA
Abstract
Hmong RPA is probably the most used Hmong alphabet worldwide. Although the creators of the alphabet describe it as a coherent alphabet, it is often misunderstood by the Hmong people and as a result, many have adapted it by changing some consonant clusters by another association of letters that would make more sense to them. This paper aims at explaining the logic behind the consonant clusters starting with N (nc, ndl, ntx, ntsh, nplh, etc., called prenasalized consonants) in simple terms so that Hmong people understand the coherence mentioned by Bertrais (1991). After having explained the “rule” behind the choice of these letter combinations, the author analyzes the sounds made by all of them in alphabetical order to show that these prenasalized consonants all follow the same rule. It is hoped that this paper will help Hmong people understand the Hmong alphabet better and learn it more easily.
