SPEECH SOUNDS IN GERMAN LANGUAGE

X.U.Urokov1 1Samarkand state institute of foreign languages department of Uzbek language and literature trainee teacher Sharipov Ubaydullo2

2Samarkand state institute of foreign languages faculty of Foreign language and literature 2nd year student https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7509763

Annotation The article introduces the study of speech sounds, different kind of divisions and changes, features of vowels and consonants, Law of Grimm and Verner and important information related to speech sounds.

Keywords: phonetics , articulation , vowels , consonants , Proto-Germanic , Proto-Indo-European , monophthong , phoneme.

Children communicate with sounds from birth. Their “speech” begins with early, involuntary sounds, and develops into sophisticated sequences of movements – using the lips, tongue, and producing all of the sounds in words and sentences. Speech sounds is a powerful tool for communication. The use of speech sounds is important for early word learning and successful nonverbal and verbal communication with people all over the world.

The study of speech sounds (or spoken language) is the branch of linguistics known as phonetics. So, phonetics is the study of the way humans make, transmit, and receive speech sounds. The speech sounds are phonetic variants of the phonemes. For example, the German phoneme [K] occurs in its positionally conditioned variants in the following words: klein, Sack, Kunde, Ecke, Musik, Kiefer. As unit of phonetics , speech sounds have four aspects: articulatory, acoustic, auditory, and functional (social).

According to V.A. Vassilyev, these four aspects cannot be separated from one another in the actual process of communication, but each of these four aspects can be singled out for purposes of linguistic analysis and thus becomes a separate object of investigation, which necessitates the division of phonetics as a science into several branches. Each of these branches of phonetics has its own methods of investigation and its own terminology. Phoneticians (linguists who study the articulatory and/or acoustic properties of speech sounds) have grouped the speech sounds into several categories. There are vowels and consonants, of course, but there are also lots of smaller distinctions within those categories.

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International scientific-online conference 43 When it comes to vowels, vowels don’t involve stopping the stream of air as it travels up from the lungs, but they do involve changing the shape and size of the space through which the air passes. The vocal cords must also be vibrating in order for a vowel sound to be produced. The German alphabet has five main vowels: a, e, i, o, u. In addition, there are so called “umlaute”: ä, ö, and ü.

Also, these vowels can be paired to form different sounds—just like in English: “boat” makes a different sound than “boot.” German vowels are classified according to the following six characteristics: according to articulation stability, duration, quality, lip position, tongue position (in the horizontal direction) and degree of elevation of the tongue (in the vertical direction).

1) Stability of articulation specifies the actual position of the articulating organ in the process of the articulation of a vowel. So according to this principle the English vowels are subdivided into: monophthongs and diphthongs. Monophthongs are vowels with stable articulation. The diphthongs are vowels with sliding articulation. there are 15 monophthongs in German: [aː], [a], [ɔ], [oː], [uː], [ʊ], [i:], [ɪ], [y:], [y], [e:], [ɛː], [ɛ], [øː], [œ] and 3 diphthongs :[aɛ], [ao] and [ɔø].

2) The German monophthongs are traditionally divided into two varieties according to their length. Monophtongs break down into 8 long vowels and 7 short ones. Long vowels: a/ä, e, o/ö and u/ü are pronounced as long vowels if they are followed by h or ß, or a single b, k, d, f, n, m, p, s, t or z. We pronounce i as a long vowel if it is followed by e. beten – to pray Sahne – cream Söhne – sons Fuß – foot Miete – rent Short vowels: a/ä, e, i, o/ö and u/ü are pronounced as short vowels if they are followed by ck, ch, tz or a double consonant. Rock – skirt Lachen – to laugh Mütze – cap ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference 44 Männer – men Mitte – middle

3) In German, quantity is associated with quality. Long vowels are closed and short ones are open. Two vowels [ a: ] and [ ɛ: ] are long and open.

4) According to the position of the lips , vowels are rounded and unrounded. Rounded vowels are those in the production of which the lips are more or less rounded and protruded. Unrounded vowels are those in the production of which the lips are spread and neutral. Rounded vowels are: [ o: ], [ɔ ] , [ u: ], [ ʊ ], [ y: ], [ y ], [ øː ], [ œ ]. Unrounded vowels are: [ a: ], [ a ], [ i: ], [ ɪ ], [ e: ], [ ɛː ], [ ɛ ].

5) According to the position of the tongue, German vowels are classified into front row vowels : [ i: ], [ ɪ ], [ y ], [ e: ], [ y ], [ e: ],[ ɛː ], [ ɛ ], [ øː ], [œ ], [ a ] ,which are pronounced with the tongue pushed forward and back row vowels : [ u: ], [ ʊ ], [ o: ], [ ɔ ], [ a: ], which are pronounced with the back tongue pushed backwards.

6) Depending on the degree of tongue elevation, a distinction is made between low [ a; ], [ a ], medium [ e: ], [ɛː ], [ ɛ ], [ øː ], [ œ ], [ o: ], [ ɔ ] and high tongue elevation vowels [ i: ], [ ɪ ], [ y:], [ y ], [ u: ] , [ ʊ ]. The vowel system of the ancient Germanic languages consisted of short and long vowels.

Differentiation of short and long vowels is one of the important features of the German language group. Short and long vowels changed differently, long vowels became closer to diphthongs, while short vowels changed to open vowels. A diphthong is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Additionally, Ancient Indo-European [o ] sound Front Central Back Unrounded rounded short long short long short long short long Close iː yː uː Closemid ɪ eː ʏ øː (ə) ʊ oː Openmid ɛ (ɛː) Œ (ɐ) ɔ Open A aː

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International scientific-online conference 45 changed to open [a] in Germanic languages, long vowel [a:] changed to [o:] in Ancient Indo-European languages. The vowel system in ancient Germanic languages is composed of short and long vowel sounds. The distinction between short and long vowels is one of the important characteristics of the Germanic group of languages. short and vowels vowels changed differently, while long vowels approached diphthongs, while short vowels switched to open vowels.

The sound of ancient Indian-European [o] changed to open [a] in Germanic languages, and the long vowel [A:] in ancient Indo-European languages changed to [o:]. Independent vowel changes

Change s Illustra ted Examples PI E P G Non-germanic Germanic Old Modern o a : A o: L noch , Ir nochd , R ночь Gt nahts , O Icel natt, OHG naht Sw natt , G Nacht R могу ; мочь Gt magan, OE maßan, mæß Sw mä , NE may L mater , R мать Icel moðir , OE mödor Sw moder , NE mother O Ind bhrata , L frater , R брат Gt brop̈ar, O Icel Broðir, OE broðor Sw broder , NE brother Mutation of vowels Change Illustrated Examples NonGermanic Germanic Old Modern

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International scientific-online conference 46 PIE – Proto-Indo-European O Icel – Old Icelandic PG – Proto-Germanic Sw – Swedish L – Latin R – Russian Gt – Gothic OE – Old English O – object NE – New English OHG – Old high german After these changes , the vowel system contained the following sounds: It is believed that in addition to these monophongs Proto Germanic had a set of dipthongs made up of more open nuclei and closer glides : [ ei ] , [ ai ] , [ eu ] , [ au ] and also [ iu ] ; nowadays , however, many scholars interpret them as sequences of two independent monopthongs .

A monophthong is a pure vowel sound, one whose articulation at both beginning and end is relatively fixed, and which does not glide up or down towards a new position of articulation. The history of the Germanic group begins with the appearance of what is known as the Proto-Germanic (PG) language. Proto-Germanic is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European PIE G i e e u u o L ventus , R ветер Gt winds , O Icel , Vindr , OE wind Sw wind , NE wind L edit , R есть L edere , L есть OHG iz̪it , OE itep , O Icel eta , OE etan G ißt , NE eats , G essen NE eat Lith sunus , R сын Icel sunr , OE sunu Sw son, NE son Celt hurnan O Icel , OE horn NE horn , Sw horn Short vowels I E A O u Long vowels i: e: a: o: u:

ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE

International scientific-online conference 47 languages. It is supposed to have split from related Indo-European tongues sometime between the 15th and 10th с B.C. The would-be Germanic tribes belonged to the western division of the Indo-European speech community. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic branches during the fifth century BC to fifth century AD: West Germanic, East Germanic and North Germanic, which however remained in contact over a considerable time, especially the Ingvaeonic languages (including English), which arose from West Germanic dialects and remained in continued contact with North Germanic.

The end of the Common Germanic period is reached with the beginning of the Migration Period in the fourth century. Vowels underwent different kind of alternations: qualitative and quantitative , dependent and independent. Qualitative changes affect the quality of the sound , e.g.: [ o >a ] or [ p > f ]; quantitative changes make long sounds short or short sounds long , e.g. : [ i > i: ] , [ ll > l ] ; dependent changes ( also positional or combinative ) are restricted to certain positions or phonetic conditions , for instance, a sound or in a certain type of a syllable; independent changes – also spontaneous or regular – take place irrespective of phonetic conditions , i.e. they affect a certain sound in all positions.

In the later Proto Germanic and in separate Germanic languages the vowels displayed a tendency to positional assimilative changes: the pronunciation of a vowel was modified under the influence of the following or preceding consonant; sometimes a vowel was approximated more closely to the following vowel. The resulting sounds were phonetically conditioned allophones which could eventually coincide with another phoneme or develop into a new phoneme. Moreover, a phoneme is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language.

The earliest instances of progressive assimilation were common Germanic mutations; they occurred in Late Proto Germanic before its disintegration or a short time after. In certain phonetic conditions, namely before the nasal [n] and before [i] or [j] in the next syllable the short [e] , [i] and [u] remained or became close ( i.e . appeared as [i] and [u] ) , whil in the absence of these conditions the more open allophones were used: [e] and [o] , respectively .

Lately , these phonetic conditions became irrelevant and allophones were phonologized. In contrast, a consonant is basically any sound that isn’t a vowel. This is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. The German consonants can be classified according to the following four

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International scientific-online conference 48 characteristics: 1) according to the involvement of the vocal cords; 2) according to the type of articulation; 3) according to the place of articulation and 4) according to the involvement of the nasal cavity. 1) According to the work of the vocal cords and the force of exhalation consonants are subdivided into voiced and voiceless. Voiced consonants arise when the vocal cords produce a voice tone that combines with a noise.

Voiced consonants are [b], [d], [g], [v], [z], [ʒ], [j], [m], [n], [I], [r], [R] , [ŋ]. Among them, other consonants (sonants) are to be distinguished. With the sonorant [m], [n], [ŋ], [I], [r], [R], the voice tone dominates over the noise. Voiceless noise sounds are [p], [t], [k], [f], [s], [ ʃ ], [x], [ꞔ ], [h], [pf ], [ts], [tʃ]. These are pure noises. 2) According to the manner of articulation, the consonants are divided into six groups; a) Explosive sounds: [p], [t], [ k], [b], [d], [g]. Between the articulating organ and the place of articulation a seal is formed which is blown open by the air flow. b)Engeries (fricatives): [f], [s], [x], [ʃ], [ꞔ ], [h], [v], [z], [ʒ],[j]. A narrowness between the articulating organ and the point of articulation opposes the air flow as an obstacle. c) Clasped (affricates): [pf], [ts], [tʃ].

Occlusive-constrictive consonants or affricates are noise consonant sounds produced with a complete obstruction which is slowly released and the air escapes from the mouth with some friction. d) Shutter opening sounds (nasals): [m], [n], [ŋ]. At one point in the speech apparatus a blockage is created, but at another point an opening through which the air escapes. e) Laterals: [I]. A lateral is a consonant in which the airstream proceeds along one or both of the sides of the tongue, but it is blocked by the tongue from going through the middle of the mouth. f) Trembling sounds (vibrants) : [ r ], [R]. An articulating organ approaches the point of articulation and is set vibrating.

3) According to the place of articulation, the German consonants are classified into: 1. Lip sounds (labials): [p], [b], [m], [f], [v], [pf]. The lip sounds break down into: ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference 49 a) two lip sounds (bilabials): [p], [b], [m] b) tooth lip sound (dentilabial): [f], [v], [pf]. 2. Tongue sounds (lingual): [t], [d], [n], [I], [r], [s], [ʃ], [ʒ], [ts], [tʃ],[ꞔ ], [j], [k], [g], [ŋ]; where the following subgroups are to be distinguished: a) Front tongue sounds (Linguodentale): [s], [z], [ts]; linguoalveolar: [t], [d], [n], [I], [r]; postalveolar: [ ŋ], [ ʒ], [ tʃ ] b) middle tongue sounds (linguopalatale): [ꞔ ], [j]; c) back tongue sounds (linguovelare): [k], [g], [ŋ]; 3. Back palatine sounds (uvulars): [x], [R];

4. Throat sound (laryngeal consonant): [h]. Place of articulation Force of Articulation forelingual labio- glottal dental interdental alveolar palatoalveolar Strong (fortis) voiceless f θ s ʃ h Weak (lenis) sometimes voiced V ð z ʒ – 4) According to the involvement of the nasal cavity, the consonants are divided into pure and nasal. Pure consonants arise when the soft palate is raised and closes off the nasal cavity from the oral cavity. The airflow can only escape through the oral cavity. The soft palate is lowered when the nasal sounds are articulated. The airflow passes through the nasal cavity. In German there are three nasal consonants [m], [n] and [ŋ].

All other consonants are pure (oral). German consonants can be represented in the following tables:

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International scientific-online conference 50 Place of articulatio n Type of articulation Lip sounds Tongue sounds Back palatin e sounds Throa t sound Two lip sound s tooth lip soun d Front tongue sound s middle tongue sound s back tongue sound s explosive sounds P b t d t d k g Engeries F v s z ʃ ʒ ꞔ x R h clasped (affricates) Pf ts tʃ shutter opening sounds Nasals M n ŋ Laterals l trembling sounds (vibrants) r R The first fundamental change in the consonant system of Germanic languages dates back to times far removed from today.

Jakob Ludwig Grimm (1785-1863), a German philologist and a folklorist (generally known together with his brother Wilhelm for their Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1812-22) studied and systematized these correlations in his Deutsche Grammatik (1819-37). His conclusions are formulated Grimm’s law (the First Consonant shift). The essence of Grimm’s law is that the quality of some sounds (namely plosives) changed in all Germanic languages while the place of their formation remained unchanged. Thus, voiced aspirated plosives (stops) lost their aspiration and changed into pure voiced plosives, voiced plosives became voiceless plosives and voiceless plosives turned into voiceless fricatives.

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International scientific-online conference 51 The first law of displacement of consonants, which was called “Act” by Grimm, consisted of three stages. 1. The resonant explosive in Indo-European languages (b, d, g) corresponded to the non-resonant explosive (p, t, k) in Germanic languages. 2. The non-resonant explosive (p, t, k) in Indo-European languages was suitable for the non-resonant sliding (f , th, h) in Germanic languages. 3. The resonant explosive sound of breath (bh, dh, gh) in Indo-European languages was consistent with the resonant explosive (b, d, g) in Germanic languages.

Examples of consonant shifts Shift in Germanic Sanskrit Greek Latin English PIE PG P > f t > θ k > x päd tanu ꞔ atam pod tanaos hekaton ped tenius centum foot thin hundred b > p d > t g > k – daꞔ a ajras – deka agros lübricus decem ager slippery ten acre bh > b dh > d gh > g bhrätä vidhavä hansas Phrätёr ёitheos khёn fräter vidua (h)änser brother widow goose Another important series of consonant changes in Proto Germanic was discovered in the late 19 th century by a Danish scholar, Carl Verner. They are known as Verner’s Law (Second Germanic consonant shift).

Verner’s Law explains some correspondences of consonants which seemed to contradict Grimm’s Law and were for a long time regarded as exceptions. Verner’s law describes a historical sound change in the Proto-Germanic language whereby consonants that would usually have been the voiceless fricatives[ f], [þ], [s], [h], [hʷ], following an unstressed syllable, became the voiced fricatives [β],[ ð],[ z],[ ɣ],[ ɣʷ]. The law was formulated by Karl Verner, and first published in 1877.

Verner’s law explains why some verbs in Old English changed their root consonant in the past tense and in the Participle II – originally, these grammatical forms had the stress on the second syllable. Hence the basic forms of such verbs as snidan (cut) and weordan ( become) were sni dan — sndd – snidon – sniden; weordan – weard – wurdon – worden. According to Verner’s

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International scientific-online conference 52 Law, all the early Proto Germanic voiceless fricatives [ f, θ, x] which arose under Grimm’s Law and also [s] inherited from Proto-Indian-European, became voiced between vowel if the preceding vowel was unstressed; in the absence of these conditions they remained voiceless. The voicing occurred in early Proto Germanic at the time when the stress was not yet fixed on the root-morpheme.

The process of voicing can be shown as a step in a succession of consonant changes in prehistorical reconstructed forms ; consider , e.g. the changes of the second consonant in the word “father” Proto-IndianEuropean Early Proto-Germanic Late ProtoGermanic Pa’ter > fa’ θar > fa’ ðar > >‘faðar Carl Verner made the following additions to the first law of consonant shift: transition of t to < [th], it also transitioned to [t] in Old English. Latin Old English Frater Brothor Mater Mothor Verner clarified that if the vowel in the syllable is stressed, the voiceless sliding [f], [θ], [x], [s] changed to > [v], [θ], [u], [z] based on the law of consonant shift in the first act.

Finally, speech sounds are a language universal that plays a huge role in communication. It is characterized by different parameters and has a number of functions. One of the many features of speech sounds are highlighted is that it helps individuals learn. Other than that, individuals who learn in their native language learn better because of the ease of understanding and less language barrier. Therefore, the importance of sound of speech is undeniable.

List of used literatures: 1. Теоретическая фонетика английского языка, учебно-практическое пособие, Челябинск, 2016. 2. Z.B.Toshev. Nemis tili fonetikasi. Toshkent, “Fan”, 2009. 3. К.Н.Намозов, Н.Г.Содиқова. Немис тили амалий фонетикаси, Самарқанд, 2009. 4. Z. X. Masodiqova, Sh. S. Hatamqulova. Nemis va o‘zbek tillarida unli va ayrim undosh tovush haqida. Молодой ученый. 2017.

MEMORIES OF YOUR TORMENT!

After crossing the road of our love
We met leaving far behind everything
How about walking to the no man's land
Hardly do we know each other though
I feel as if I've got my soulmate in you
Days go by; nights don't seem to glide
Memories of yours do torment me a lot
The world has reduced me to this state 
Sitting and clutching my wounded past
Cause you're so close to me, you know
But I think you're out of my reach now.


 NOTHING IN MY HAND!

I wish your presence when I am awake
Always in my dreams if I shut my eyes
I've recorded my world in your name
For the first time in my life you came
My eyes were wet while laughing
Nothing in my hand; me empty &  lonely
Your entity you know essential to me
My palm lines aren't perfect though
It is clear you've accepted me as I am 
There was loneliness in my heart and
In your presence I feel heavenly bliss.


THE DUST OF GRIEF!

At times I think of my uneventful life
Just a garland of thorns sans peace 
What I have found is the dust of grief 
When I did desire for the cold touch
Out of nothing only cold sigh in my lot 
Sorrows made my heart more sombre 
You left leaving a couple of moments 
None has time to hold my numb hands
Even my shadow is very often apathetic 
This is my life and why should I be afraid 
Of sorrow for it's mine, my companion.



YOU BECAME MY PRAYER!

I'll give away my life, even lose all my wins 
Whatever be the cost, you're my everything
Beyond all my limits and boundaries 
Now I'm broken after giving everything 
I'm no one; you've become my destination 
Great things God has given without asking 
Otherwise atheists like me won't get God
My desires 've met you as you became my prayer.


Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai (DOB 07/06/1973) is a passionate Indian Author-cum- bilingual poet while a tremendous lecturer of English by profession in the Ganjam district of Odisha. He is an accomplished source of inspiration for young generation of India. His free verse on Romantic and melancholic  poems appreciated by everyone. He belongs to a small typical village Nandiagada of Ganjam District, the state of Odisha. After schooling he studied intermediate and Graduated In Kabisurjya Baladev vigyan Mahavidyalaya then M A in English from Berhampur University PhD in language and literature and D.litt from Colombian poetic house from South America. 

He promotes his specific writings around the world literature and trades with multiple stems that are related to current issues based on his observation and experiences that needs urgent attention. He is an award winning writer who has achieved various laurels from the circle of writing worldwide. His free verse poems not only inspires young readers but also the people of his generation. His poetic goal is right now inspiring others, some of which are appreciated by laurels of India and across the world. Many of his poems been translated in different Indian languages and got global appreciation. Lots of well wishes for his upcoming writings and success in future.

He is an award winning poet and author of many best selling books. Recently he was awarded Rabindra nath Tagore and Gujarat Sahitya Academy for the year 2022 from Motivational Strips . A gold medal from world union of poets France & winner Of Rahim Karims world literary prize 2023.The government of Odisha Higher Education Department appointed him as a president to Governing body of Padmashree Dr. Ghanashyam Mishra Sanskrit Degree College, Kabisurjyanagar.

Winner of "HYPERPOEM " GUINNESS WORLD RECORD 2023.Recently he was awarded from SABDA literary Festival at Assam, the highest literary honour from Peru contributing world literature 2024. Completed 200 Epistolary poems with Kristy Raines of the USA.

Books.

1.Psalm of the Soul.
2.Rise of New Dawn.
3.Secret Of Torment.
4.Everything I Never Told You.
5.Vision Of Life National Library Kolkata.
6.100 Shadows of Dream.
7.Timeless Anguish.
8.Voice of Silence.
9.I cross my heart from east to west. (Epistolary poetry with Kristy Raines)

Sculptor Arm

Michelangelo Buonarotti 
	  was the third SCULPTOR
			To tackle 
		the Carrera Marble,
That huge block of Carrera Marble,
	He who saw spirit in stone,
   Who knew that every stone
	  Has a statue inside it,
	And from his pounding,		
	   Chipping, shaping
	Relentlessly gave life to
		      DAVID—
    Six tons, and 17 feet tall
			  DAVID
	  A symbol of strength
			  Poise,
		   Confidence
			  DAVID
	 Facing the challenges
		      Of life.

    The first artists gave up—
	   Too hard, too many 
		  Imperfections-- 
   But Michelangelo Buonorotti,
Only a baby when they abandoned it,
	 Twenty-five Years later
Took up the chisel, took up the task
	With an arm indomitable
   That pounded the stone
	  To completion.
			To perfection—
	    Sculptor Arm!

Random Musings about Submission

By Jacques Fleury

[Originally published in Jacques Fleury’s book You Are Enough: The Journey to Accepting Your Authentic Self]

Let’s just begin in
medias res…or in the middle of things…
You see, we had artistic differences,
I was the artist and they were indifferent…
“Thank you for your submission…” but I never 
Submitted!

At least not in the way that they wanted me to;
If I wasn’t fiscally challenged, I would board a jet plane
And head for a luge run at Saint Moritz Switzerland,
A psychotically dangerous sport;
Maybe they’ve driven me to psychosis!

Luge, a sport rooted in Germanic tribal wars against the Romans;
Bored aristocrats on vacation looking for a distraction;
Although I am distracted by my own tribal war here in America,
I am nothing like a bored and puerile aristocrat…
This landed me in a mawkish quagmire of self-pity;
In my mind I absconded into a journey of devilment to topple my torment;

Writing can be an exercise in discernment that you are inevitably
Obliged to submit for judgment; that is if you expect to make
An impact other than justifying your own derangement due to
Maladjustment…
“Your writing is not a good fit for our publication” was the nadir of my existence!!!
What did I write to warrant such specious offerings you may ask?
Well I wrote from the voice of an ignoble omnivorous muskrat
Whose sexual identify is non-binary;

Both a strumpet and a sthumpet!
And as an exponent of socio-political justice wrote hither and thither
An apocalyptic reverie about mutant muskrats;
A germane allegory or political fodder for the purpose of unveiling
pejorative prejudice;
Deciding to introduce a foreign element into an established
Yet insecure environment so to demonstrate the ensuing behavior
Of those who deem themselves superior;
The muskrat representing the only POC or person of color
In an all-white order where WASPS Rule!

WASPS being descendants of
Wealthy Anglo-Saxon Protestant Males
Feeling their long history of imposing their cultural values and
Socio-political power over “the other” that is
women and minorities…
Threatened by a neo-progressive era geared towards changing the status quo;
Clamping down on their suppression in retaliation to the
Nascent and unrelenting movement towards socio-political
And economic progression and equality
In this American Nation!

“Thank you for your submission
But your work is not a good fit for our publication…” 
Really?!
So here I am, randomly musing about not being chosen…
Am I just a titular poet?
A deuteragonist in my own story?
When do I get to be the protagonist hero despite my AFRO?!
When do I get to be the plucky character in epics akin to

19th century iconoclastic South African king Shaka Zulu whose heroic story depicted
How he united tribal factions to create notable states and powerful African identities…or even
Anglo-Saxon and French epics like Beowulf together with Le Chanson De Roland?
Or even the archetypal Mesopotamian great:
The Epic of Gilgamesh;
Regarded as the earliest prototypical literature and the second oldest religious text…

“Your submission is not on par with our vision…”
Really?!
Even in the midst of global
Dissention and division?!
So we had artistic differences…I was the artist and they were indifferent.

But I decided to muse about it to manufacture
My own moment,
Fashion my own non-contentious and all-inclusive literary faction,
Where ALL postulatory voices are worthy of publication;
Because the acrimony of exclusivity is
A damnation!
I will continue to submit but NEVER to their behest for 
Submission!!!

Keys to the Universe 

If you are kind and don't ask for anything in return 
If someone else's success makes you happy like your own 
If you control and manage to convert anger, envy and jealousy, 
so that they don't go against yourself, 
and you conquer your mind again and again, 
happiness smiles at you. 

The keys of heaven are not unattainable, in the sky above, 
everything on Earth is visible and meaningful to those 
who have the sight to see more clearly. 

There is a large and living organism 
where every part is equally important. 
Whoever extends a hand of respect 
without expecting fame and earthly recognition, 
everything comes as a gift anyway 
and not because of personal merit, 
will be celebrated among people. 

The keys to the Universe exist, 
not to be selfishly hidden in a pocket, 
but to open the doors of many locked hearts with them.


Maja Milojković was born in 1975 in Zaječar, Serbia.
She is a person to whom from an early age, Leonardo da Vinci's statement "Painting is poetry that can be seen, and poetry is painting that can be heard" is circulating through the blood.
That's why she started to use feathers and a brush and began to reveal the world and herself to them.
As a poet, she is represented in numerous domestic and foreign literary newspapers, anthologies and electronic media, and some of her poems can be found on YouTube.
Many of her poems have been translated into English, Hungarian, Bengali and Bulgarian due to the need of foreign readers.
She is the recipient of many international awards.
"Trees of Desire" is her second collection of poems in preparation, which is preceded by the book of poems "Moon Circle". 
She is a member of the International Society of Writers and Artists "Mountain Views" in Montenegro,and shealso is a member of the Poetry club "Area Felix" in Serbia.

Now they talk too!

That is, in English. Wherever and whenever the problems of the blind are discussed, the main topic is the lack of Braille books and textbooks. It aims to help (blind) children master the English language thoroughly. The following are the specific achievements of the manual: ensures mastery; the publication of the dictionary in Braille helps the reader to read and write words by hand, and to
understand easily by listening to the audio CD attached to the book.

Publishing textbooks for the visually impaired still remains a problem. Another challenge is whether the textbooks are being printed based on their ability. Are they interested?

According to statistics, there are 39 million blind people in the world. Another 200 million people are partially blind. Advanced technologies offer new opportunities for them.

In December 2020, in Uzbekistan, students of boarding schools underwent a special medical examination within the framework of the
“Kongil Kozi” project. The author of the project is the deputy chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Mass Media Support and Development Public Fund Saida Mirziyoyeva.
Within the framework of the project, textbooks in Braille were published, a computer center specialized in the needs of blind and visually impaired children was created, the technical base of all
boarding schools was developed, and other small projects have been implemented.

We need to create textbooks for the blind to thoroughly study foreign languages using new methods. As a solution to the existing problem, we are working on the development of elementary intermediate English textbooks. It consists of two parts, a dictionary book and
a conversation book. In addition, there is a disk version of the book and a program version. We named the book “Ilm bu -nur”. It
uses one of the methods that are becoming popular all over the world, the “minimonics” method.

The dictionary contains 800 words. It is created based on their physiological condition, and they can learn to speak quickly and easily from this book. Another convenience is that it is given in Braille, English, and Uzbek languages. There is also a disk and software option. and they are currently being worked on. The
minimonic method is a method that encourages the child to think and think freely, and the difference from other methods is that it allows the child to learn a lot in a short time. It also helps to identify taste.

According to psychologists, a child understands 75% of things by sight, this statistic is definitely for healthy children. However, in this textbook, we want to introduce the art of drawing with dots. The
method of understanding pictures by feeling we need to deepen it. Depending on the age of the blind child, we can convey the necessary knowledge to him through levels using this method. Our goal is to simplify language learning among blind people, to help them get international and national certificates, and to provide
them with a job in the future.

Sadoqat Beg’amova, an author in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Aweary  

Aweary with the dirt 
that amasses at the doorsteps of multiple nations,
the trash of treaties, conventions, and dialogues
in assemblies that spew out noisome speeches,
the tedium of eloquence 
that has been evolving since the extinction of Dinosaurs
and other pre-historic creatures,
when heavy clubs and hand-held rocks 
gave way to more refined ways of resolving 
territorial grievance. 


 
Terrorized

Terror now runs in our veins
like electric currents that are ordained
for the God-forsaken and the condemned insane.

We daily anticipate the predicted forecast
of tremors, volcanic eruptions, or some devastating gales
that bring everlasting perdition in its inevitable wake.

Our homes have become gossamer 
in the breath of raging warfare.
Stars are dragons to be heeded 
and clouds are ominous bearers of pain.
They have injected terror into our brains, 
each nerve resonating to a parody of the end of times, 
prescribed to every indignant homo sapien.


 
2024

It is only the second of January
and I am already bed-ridden,
unable to move a limb or lift an eyelid. 
I had mumbled something on the phone 
that made my brother nearly have a car accident. 
The search for a doctor immediately commences 
since I rarely fall ill. 

Nausea makes it impossible for me to suck 
a single sip of my favorite drink. 
I feel my grip on life fast loosening, 
but there is no white light beckoning 
or a flower-strewn tunnel 
at the end of which stands the welcoming dead. 
 
The mask-less doctor is reluctant to pinpoint the culprit.
‘Is it the new Corona?’ I faintly ask. 
2024 has just unwrapped its miscellaneous gifts.


 
If They

If they condemn ongoing butcheries in the Holy Land,
they are instantly accused of hate crimes,
of embracing anti-Semitism with a godly might,
but fortunately they happen to be Semites
and there is no way they could turn against themselves.

If they speak against the atrocities of Zionism,
they’re branded with the ugliest forms of racism,
but they are not the ones who inherited an apartheid 
that persecuted the Irish, red, and black.

If they invoke the help of Almighty God
to send Archangel Michael to battlefields
to support the persecuted in an occupied land,
fanaticism is the final verdict.