A recent article in a Malay daily by Prof Emeritus Isahak Haron, senior research fellow at the Department of Education in Counselling and Psychology, Universiti Malaya, suggesting mother tongue be used to teach English, is at best, misguided.

They say "the proof is in the pudding" and for several years, that seems to be the way national school pupils in primary and secondary schools were taught the English language, i.e., "using the mother tongue to teach English", and the result has been atrocious.

Our students, at all levels, from primary to university, are generally poor in English and many have complained about it, including both the public and the private sectors and not mentioning the public.

I am sure the professor is fully aware of the situation but why he is keeping a blind eye to it, no one knows except him, himself or maybe he is a language nationalist, but that is a different matter altogether.

Teaching English using one's "mother tongue", in this case Bahasa Malaysia, may end up changing the grammar and meanings of English words as can be seen today, more so when the affected English words are adopted as Malay words. I cannot speak for Mandarin or Tamil because I do not understand them.

For example, "symbol" (noun) in English should be "simbol" (noun) in BM and not "simbolik" (adjective).  Note the change is spelling.

We often hear, "Jalur Gemilang adalah simbolik negara Malaysia", which should be "Jalur Gemilang adalah simbol negara Malaysia".

Mainstream Malay-language newspapers such as Utusan Malaysia, Harian Metro and Berita Harian, as well as RTM, TV3 and Astro are all guilty of this.

Another example is in sentences where comparisons about distances, days/dates, time, sizes and the like are made where in English, if the preposition "between" is used, it is always followed by "and" and not "to". 

Here’s an example: "The annual sale will be held between this Wednesday and next Friday".

Sentences like these, translated into BM, are often wrongly translated and it will read as: "Jualan murah tahunan itu akan diadakan di antara hari Rabu hingga hari Jumaat".

The correct translation in BM should be, “Jualan murah tahunan itu akan diadakan di antara hari Rabu dan hari Jumaat”.

If the earlier sentence is translated word for word into English, it reads: “The annual sale will be held between Wednesday to Friday”, and in English, this is wrong and should be, “The annual sale will be held between Wednesday and Friday".

If "hingga" is to be used, then the prepositions used "between... to" ("di antara... dan") should be changed to "from... to" ("dari... hingga") or ("daripada... hingga"). This can also be used when indicating or comparing time, sizes, and places.

A "black sheep" is a "black sheep". Consider the sentence, "He is the black sheep of the family because he is the most mischievous kid in the house". The kid who is deemed to bring trouble or bad luck to a family is normally called a black sheep.

In BM, it is, "Dia adalah anak nakal yang tidak disukai di dalam keluarga ini". A black sheep is not a "kambing hitam". "Kambing hitam" can be either a scapegoat or a fall guy.

These are only the basics and when things become more complex, only confusion takes over because learners of English who learn using their mother tongue are not taught the basics and the foundation of the language, and the rules of English grammar which in itself, can be very confusing and daunting, if one does not know.

Normally, when teachers teach English using the "mother tongue", it may be because of the poor command of English of the teachers and also the pupils, it is like the "blind leading the blind".

However, when used only sparingly, just like learning French or Spanish in English, it should be acceptable but it is not because the teacher’s command of English is poor.

I have some friends who are teachers and lecturers teaching English at national schools and universities and they find that teaching English using BM sometimes does make teaching the subject easier but at the end of the day, English is used comprehensively.

The meanings of English words when used in BM should also remain the same and a common example is "handyman", which is "handyman" and not a "janitor" as these two vocations are distinctly different.

Another common mistake in translation is "boot" (in British English or trunk in American English) is also "boot" when used in BM without changing the format.

Many people refer to the boot of a car as "bonnet". Boot is not bonnet. Bonnet is the engine cover of a car and the boot or the trunk of a car is the compartment where one normally keeps his or her luggage while travelling.

Unless he or she owns the old Volkswagon Beetle, one cannot keep anything in a bonnet of a car. A bonnet can also be a "head cover" of a young girl which was a common fashion in 19th Century England and earlier.

The attached photo shows a British Royalty, circa 1927, Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) wearing a cute bonnet, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York Royal Baby. This is now not commonly used even among children of aristocrats.

The car’s top is known as the "hood" and some cars, particularly the cabriolet and some sports model, do not have hoods. Some of these types of cars sometime have and sometime don’t have hoods and that depend on the car’s owners and the weather.

Teachers also must be very careful when using verbs, i.e., when to use the singular verb and when to use the plural verb. If the subject (noun) preceding it is a plural noun, it must be followed by a plural verb and singular verbs are used for singular nouns.

There are exceptions here and when the subject or noun "you" is used, which is a singular noun; it is always followed by a plural verb. Learn also the differences in the use, applications and meanings of the words "accept" and "except", and "economy", "economic" and "economics".

Pronunciation of English words when used in BM especially when the spellings are not changed must be the same. We are borrowing many foreign words so we have to be nice to the British and sometimes the French or the Germans.

For example, "genre" such as when used in music and literature, should be pronounced as "Johnner" (hn is silent) and not "John-Ray" nor "John-Reh".

In the satire titled, "English is a funny language!", it says:

There is no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple...

Is cheese the plural of choose?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?

One very effective way for children in national primary schools in the country to learn English is by "acting" them and make them pronounce the words and read the sentences loudly, with feelings if possible.

The teachers will have to help them on vocabulary. There are many books available that come in this form and Shakespeare’s works are among the best but this is more applicable for secondary school or university students.

Try using everyday conversations, such as in the home, schools, markets, shops, office etc., and turn them into scripts first in BM and then in English and use them as the scripts for the play material exercise in classroom.

The children can be asked to come up with a sentence each taken from their daily conversations either with their mothers, fathers or their siblings at home, neighbours or friends at the playing field near where they live or they can even try to pick up conversations between actors when watching their favourite shows.

Always start with the easier ones first. If this is done regularly, I am very sure the children will be able to converse in English fairly comfortably within just one year.

By the way, I do not recommend using scripts from the show "Oh My English" because they have made far too many grammatical errors and the pronunciation of some of the English words used in the script are below the mark. – November 5, 2014.

* Hussaini Abdul Karim reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.