Hmong is a tonal language, similar to Chinese, where each word has a different meaning depending on the ending tone of the word. There are a total of 7 tones. 

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There are also different dialects of Hmong which can be compared to British vs English accents. Most prominent in Minnesota is the Hmong White dialect. 

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There was no Hmong writing system until around the 1950s. The western Roman alphabet was introduced and from then on books and records of history could start being produced.