[Watch] Sarawakian Grab Rider Speaks Chinese With Confidence, Confusing Locals With Strange Dialect
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Having the skills to speak multiple languages has always been a bonus.
Multilingual speakers routinely strengthen complementary workplace skills while using their language talents on the job, such as expanded vocabularies, better problem-solving skills, listening skills and interpersonal skills.
Lately, a non-Chinese Grab rider has been drawing attention with his ability to speak the language.
People are amused because he speaks fluently and confidently, although it’s actually hard to tell if he says it in Mandarin or other Chinese dialects.
@pakwerangers405 itu tokey memang tidal dapat tido fikir apa dia cakap….#sarawaktiktok #fypシ #fyp #tiktokmalaysia#tiktok ♬ original sound – PAKWE_RANGERS405
Assimilating Like A True Malaysian
In a another video posted on TikTok, the Grab rider was seen walking to a kopitiam before ordering food with a Chinese hawker.
He starts to speaks with the fluency of a native speaker, although it was hard to make out what he was saying.
It is probable that he is speaking in a local dialect which only Sarawakians could understand.
It is not the first time that the Grab rider caught attention with his linguistic prowess.
One time, he was speaking Chinese while at a motorcycle workshop.
A Chinese man did not seem to understand what he was trying to convey, and could laugh with his friend in amazement.
@pakwerangers405 bila aku cakap bahasa cina….org cina sendiri x faham apa aku cakap…#kuchingtiktok #fypシ #tiktoksarawak #fyp ♬ bunyi asal – pakwerangers405 – PAKWE_RANGERS405
His exploits somewhat resembles a ‘gweilo’ (Cantonese slang term for Westerners) speaking the Southern China dialect.
Do Most Malaysians Speak Chinese?
Non-native Chinese dialect speakers in Malaysia are few and far in between, while Mandarin speakers are much more common as it is taught in schools.
Chinese language varieties, including both Mandarin and dialects such as Cantonese, Hakka, and Hokkien, are widely spoken in Malaysia, where the Chinese diaspora constitutes around 24.6 per cent of the total population.
Most of them are found on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the most urbanized part of the country, as well as in the major cities and towns of Sabah and Sarawak.
Malaysian Mandarin’s phonology is closer to the Mandarin accents of Southern China than the Beijing standard pronunciation due to the influence of other dialects such as Cantonese and Hokkien.
READ MORE: No, Chinese Malaysians Don’t ALL Speak “Chinese”
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