8
My mother tongue
Textbook: Part 1, pp. 41–43
GoalRead a poem about love of the mother tongue expressively; show the richness of language with synonyms.
New words
mother tongue · ona tilisynonym · ma’nodoshto cherish · ardoqlamoqrichness, wealth · boylik
Explanation
The textbook has the poem “Ona tilim” (My mother tongue) by Miraziz A’zam, in which the poet cherishes Uzbek and says he would never exchange it for another language. We do not retell it. Uzbek belongs to the Turkic family of languages and is the state language of Uzbekistan. The richness of a language shows, among other things, in synonyms: we can express one thought with different shades of meaning. So when we read a poem we choose words carefully.
Worked examples
“The richness of our language”. At home I heard the word “ko‘rkam” (handsome) from my grandfather. At school I read the words “chiroyli” and “go‘zal” (beautiful). In describing something each word gives a different feeling. When I say “my mother tongue” I remember my mother’s lullaby, my books and talks with my friends. To protect the language we must speak it correctly and beautifully and read many books. A kind word makes people glad.
Synonyms: chiroyli – go‘zal – ko‘rkam (beautiful); katta – ulkan – bahaybat (big – huge – gigantic). Proverb: “Yaxshi so‘z — jon ozig‘i” (A good word is food for the soul).
Class activity
“Synonym hunters”: the teacher says a word (big, small, good), children find 2–3 synonyms.
Practice
1
From whom did the child hear the word “ko‘rkam”?
From the grandfather
2
What does the child remember when saying “my mother tongue”?
Mother’s lullaby, books and talks with friends
3
What should be done to protect the language?
Speak correctly and beautifully, read many books
4
Find two synonyms for “katta”.
For example: ulkan, bahaybat
5
Which family of languages does Uzbek belong to?
The Turkic family