Beijing’s stronger presence in Southeast Asia in recent years has seen a rise in the popularity of Mandarin. Photo: Reuters
Meet the Malaysian on a mission to make Hokkien great again, amid Mandarin’s rising popularity in Southeast Asia
- Linguist Sim Tze Wei has been accused of trying to divide the Chinese people, as there are those who see the use of other Chinese languages ‘as a sign of disunity and weakness’
- But he points out that Chinese immigrants to Asia have for generations been speaking their own languages, which are being edged out as more turn to learning Mandarin
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Malaysia
Beijing’s stronger presence in Southeast Asia in recent years has seen a rise in the popularity of Mandarin. Photo: Reuters