Orang Melayu Selalu Silap His Her Past Tense Present Tense Single Plural

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I have said this before in this blog. This reflects upon how English is taught to our school kids. I hope someone in our MOE will take note because this matter has not been resolved for the past 50 years and more.
I have noted countless times that there are some common and repetitive mistakes made by Malays when they speak English.
1. Singular (mufrad) versus plural (jama'a)
One example is confusing the singular and the plural. Singular is often spoken as plural, by adding an 's' at the end of a word. 
For example instead of 'soldier' (singular) they will say 'soldiers' (plural). And vice versa. This is a common mistake. 
For example if you watched that earlier video about our Brigadier General handing out those medals to the British servicemen in the UK, you will notice him saying 'soldier' (singular) when it should be soldiers (plural). Silap bro.
2. Gender differentiation : male (muzakkar) versus female (mu'annath).
Then there is still confusion between 'his' and 'her'.  I have heard many times Malay folks confusing the male and female gender. 'He' and 'his' is often used to refer to a 'she' or hers'.    And vice versa. 
3. Past and Present Tense
This one is quite a disaster. People jumble up their tenses. Past tense used for present tense and vice versa. This is the most common mistake. 
'Fly' can be a verb, in the present tense or future tense.
The past tense of fly is 'flew'.   
Of course if you are texting, you cud spell it as 'flu'. 
So the point is proven : the Minister was confused between the past tense and the present tense.
He meant Spanish Flu. But he ended up saying Spanish Fly. 
Artikel ini adalah pandangan penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili MMKtT.
By Syed Akbar Ali 

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