Lesson Objective

By the end of this lesson, students will:

1. Understand what a vowel is.
2. Understand why vowels are important.
3. Identify the six 1-letter vowels.
4. Identify the eight 2-letter vowels.
5. Understand how vowels are used to form Hmong words.

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Part 1: What Is a Vowel?

Definition

A vowel (Ntawv Suab) is the main sound of a Hmong word. The vowel is the most important building block in a Hmong word because every Hmong word contains a vowel.
Without a vowel, there is no Hmong word (or syllable).

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The Three Building Blocks of a Hmong Word

From Unit 1, we learned that Hmong words are built from three building blocks:

Building Block	Hmong Name	Purpose
Vowel	Ntawv Suab	Main sound
Consonant	Ntawv Pib	Beginning sound
Vowel Pitch Modifier	Ntawv Cim Suab	Changes the pitch of the vowel

Of these three building blocks, the vowel is the only building block that is always required. A consonant may be used. A vowel pitch modifier may be used. But a vowel must always be used.

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Facts About Hmong Vowels

Fact #1

Every Hmong word contains a vowel.

Examples:
o
po
ob
pob

All four words contain the vowel o.

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Fact #2

The vowel provides the main sound of the word.

Example:

pob

The consonant p gives the beginning sound.
The vowel pitch modifier b changes the pitch.
The vowel o provides the main sound.

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Fact #3

A vowel can form a word by itself.

Example:

o

Meaning: swollen
This word contains only a vowel.

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Fact #4

A vowel may be combined with a consonant.

Example:

po

The consonant changes the beginning sound.
The vowel remains the main sound.

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Fact #5

A vowel may be combined with a vowel pitch modifier.

Example:

ob

The vowel remains the main sound.
The vowel pitch modifier changes the pitch.

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Fact #6

A vowel may be combined with both a consonant and a vowel pitch modifier.

Example:

pob

The vowel remains the main sound.
The consonant changes the beginning sound.
The vowel pitch modifier changes the pitch.

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Fact #7

When reading a Hmong word, find the vowel first.
This is the most important reading strategy in Hmong.
Once you find the vowel, you can identify:

1. The consonant before it (if any).
2. The vowel pitch modifier after it (if any).

Then you can read the word.

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What Makes a Vowel a Vowel?

When pronouncing a vowel, the airflow passes freely through the mouth.
The tongue does not touch the teeth, gums, or roof of the mouth (palate).
This is what makes a vowel different from a consonant.

Examples

When saying:

a, e, i, o, u, w

the tongue moves into different positions, but it does not make contact with the teeth, gums, or palate.
The sound flows freely through the mouth.

Helpful Hint

A simple way to think about vowels is:
Vowels are “open” sounds.
The airflow is not blocked.
Later, in Unit 3, you will learn that many consonants are formed when the tongue, lips, or throat partially or completely block the airflow.

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Part 2: How Vowels Are Used to Form Hmong Words

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Forming a Hmong Word

Step 1a: Start by Finding the Vowel

Find the Vowel. A vowel can form a word by itself.

Example word: o

How to say it out loud in Hmong sounds: o

Meaning: swollen

The vowel provides the main sound.

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Step 2a: Add a Consonant Before the Vowel

A consonant may be added before the vowel.

Example word: po
p+o = po

How to say it out loud in Hmong sounds: Say Hmong sounds for p, o, (pause, then say the resulting combined sound) = po.

Meaning: spleen

Notice:

• The consonant adds a beginning sound to the vowel sound.
• The vowel remains the main sound.

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Step 3a: Add a Vowel Pitch Modifier After the Vowel

A vowel pitch modifier may be added after the vowel.

Example word: ob
o+b= ob

How to say it out loud in Hmong sounds: Say Hmong sounds for o, b, (pause, then say cim nyab) = ob

Meaning: two

Notice:

• The vowel remains the main sound.
• The vowel pitch modifier changes the pitch of the vowel.

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Step 4: Add Both a Consonant and a Vowel Pitch Modifier to the Vowel

A consonant may be added before the vowel. A vowel pitch modifier may be added after the vowel.

Example word: pob
p+o+b= pob

This can be broken up into two parts.
Part 1: p+o=po.
Part 2: po+b=pob

How to say it out loud in Hmong sounds:
Part 1: Say Hmong sounds for p, o (pause, then say the resulting combined sound) = po.
Part 2: (Then say the resulting consonant and vowel sound and “cim nyab” to bring it to the desired pitch). Say Hmong sounds for po, then say “cim nyab”, then say they resulting sound “pob”.

Meaning: bump

Notice:

• The vowel remains the main sound.
• The consonant changes the beginning sound.
• The vowel pitch modifier changes the pitch of the vowel sound.

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Important Note

Not all vowels are words by themselves.

For example:

a

is a vowel, but it is not a Hmong word. Whereas, o is a vowel and also a word.

Likewise, not every combination of consonants, vowels, and vowel pitch modifiers forms a real Hmong word.

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Part 3: Single-Letter and Double-Letter Vowels

Hmong vowels come in two forms:

The 6 Single-Letter Vowels

Single-letter vowels are vowels made up of one letter.

Examples:

a, e, i, o, u, w

Helpful Hint

These are the same vowels found in English:

a, e, i, o, u

plus one additional vowel:

w

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The 8 Double-Letter Vowels

Double-letter vowels are vowels made up of two letters.

Examples:

aa, ai, au, aw, ee, ia, oo, ua

Helpful Hint

Many double-letter vowels sound longer or more complex than single-letter vowels.

Although they contain two letters, they still function as a single vowel.

Remember:

A vowel is defined by its sound, not by the number of letters used to write it.

For example:

• aa = one vowel
• ee = one vowel
• oo = one vowel
• ua = one vowel

Even though each contains two letters, each is treated as a single vowel when reading a Hmong word.

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Key Takeaway

Hmong has:

• 6 single-letter vowels
• 8 double-letter vowels

For a total of 14 vowels.

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Memorization Goal

Students should memorize:

1. The vowel (letters).
2. The sound of the vowel.
3. An example word containing the vowel.
   
   Helpful hint: All vowels are different sounds, but pronounced at a single baseline (same) pitch. Each of the Vowel Pitch Modifiers will tell you to move this baseline pitch to one of 6 other different pitch. More on this in unit 4.

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Flashcard Goal

Use the flashcards to memorize:

• All 6 single-letter vowels.
• All 8 double-letter vowels.
• The sound each vowel (see quizlet). S
• The example word associated with each vowel.

Click here to access the Quizlet flashcard set for unit 2.

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Final Lesson Summary

The vowel (Ntawv Suab) is the foundation of every Hmong word.

You learned that:

When reading Hmong, always find the vowel first.

Every Hmong word contains a vowel.

Without a vowel, there is no Hmong word (or syllable).

A vowel is produced when airflow passes freely through the mouth.

The tongue does not touch the teeth, gums, or palate when producing a vowel.

Hmong vowels can be single-letter or double-letter vowels.

Hmong has 14 vowels total:

6 single-letter vowels

8 double-letter vowels

The vowel provides the main sound of the word.

Consonants modify the beginning sound.

Vowel Pitch Modifiers modify the pitch.