Yes, we are curious about this too. Just exactly how many Hmong words are there? We are not talking about just the ones in use today. We are talking about the total “possible” Hmong words that can be written using the RPA (Romanized Popular Alphabet) system. To answer this question, we wrote a simple program using the parameters set forth in the RPA system and here are the results.
You may be saying - “No way, there are more words than that!” And with that - you are right… and wrong. You see, the Hmong language is unique in that it is not a very direct language. We don’t really have words to represent specific objects. Sometimes we do. Most of the time; however, the Hmong language is more of a “descriptive” language. What this means is that in order to convey a certain meaning or association, we describe it. Here’s an example:
1. Finger - Ntiv Tes: When we do a literal translation of “Ntiv Tes,” it becomes “Tip Hand” or the tip of the hand. Neat eh?
2. Hair - Plaub Hau: When translated, “Plaub Hau” means “Fur Head.” It almost sounds like an insult, doesn’t it 
The point of the examples above was to address the statement of, “No way, we have more words than that!” We do seem to have more words than what is in our list because over the years, individual writers started JOINING words to better convey their intentions. Using the examples above, “Ntiv Tes” became “ntivtes” and “Plaub Hau” became “plaubhau.” See the light now?
Obviously, this is not the original intention of the founders of the RPA system - but without a standard to follow or a central authoritative organization to maintain the Hmong language, who is to say which “joined” words are acceptable and which are not? We feel that it is important and acceptable to join words - it’s natural to do so and is an evolutionary option to improving the Hmong language. So - we hereby, do officially call for Hmong speakers to arms - and start an organization to maintain and standardize the Hmong language! (This is the closest we will get into Hmong politics, trust us.)
Anyway, take a look at the list and draw your own conclusions. Possibility-wise, this was what was generated by our program and we were not surprised with the results. It’s actually more than we expected.
March 12th, 2007
Please update your web-links to our Hmong Text Reader with integrated Dictionary (HTRiD). We have removed the older versions off of our server and are no longer accessible. To continue using the HTRiD, please click on “Hmong Text Reader” under the Lomation Tools side-bar section, or just click here.
To use our Hmong and English Dictionary, simply enter in a Hmong word into the field under the Hmong Dictionary section (side-bar).
March 6th, 2007
Our Hmong Text Reader with integrated Dictionary (HTRiD) has been updated - woot! This is a code-enhancement update and not a content update. This means that no new words or definitions were added/introduced. To see the definition of a word, you can now just put your mouse over that word.
This new version utilizes AJAX to better integrate our Hmong and English dictionary with our Hmong Text Reader for better performances. What this means is that instead of having to make lots of calls to the dictionary database before rendering the results (one call for each word you entered - very inefficient), the program will now only make a call to the database if you put your mouse over a word. Neat eh? If this doesn’t make sense to you, don’t worry about it. Just know that we have updated HTRiD.
Enjoy.
March 6th, 2007
With most of the bugs fixed, we feel that our new Hmong Text Reader with integrated Dictionary (HTRiD) is ready for public use. It is not perfect, but is stable enough to be moved into production. Again the key feature in this new version is the ability to click on the words to see the meanings. We hope you enjoy using this version and would love to hear your thoughts on our new HTRiD. Please use the contact form on the right (scroll down) to send us your comments.
The old verion is still available at:
http://www.lomation.com/hmong/reader_old/
May 20th, 2006
As some of you may have noticed this morning when you were using our Hmong Text Reader (HTR), we were in the middle of adding a new feature to our program, which we hope you will find useful. After our HTR has processed your data, you can now click on any of the words to see its meaning - on the fly! This is the logical next step or evolution in improving our HTR.
If you want to test this new feature, please go to:
http://www.lomation.com/hmong/reader_beta/
As always, our HTR is considered “test code” and you will probably find some bugs and annoyances. Please use the contact form on the right (you may have to scroll down) to report any bugs you may have found - or if you just want to chat with us
The regular “non-dictionary integrated” version is still available for you to use at the usual address:
http://www.lomation.com/hmong/reader/
May 17th, 2006
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