Ghanaian student Adam Abdul Raziik attributed his ability to fluently converse in Bahasa Sarawak (local Malay dialect) to his desire to wanting to mix with local folks and make new friends.
The 17-year-old, who rates his proficiency in Bahasa Sarawak at ‘90 per cent’, has been able to pick up the language in the one-and-a-half years he has been living in Kuching.
“I need to understand what the locals are saying, if not it will be hard to mix around with them.
“If I master the local dialect, others will find it easy to communicate with me,” he told The Borneo Post’s sister paper Utusan Borneo recently.
Adam said he was able to pick up the language quicker through hanging out with friends, playing football and other activities, adding he was also aided by his fluency in Bahasa Melayu having lived in Peninsular Malaysia for nine years after his father relocated the family to Malaysia.
He also said the first Bahasa Sarawak words he learned were ‘auk’ (yes) and ‘sik’ (no).
Currently studying in Form 5 at SMK Kota Samarahan, the Ghanaian said his family moved to Kuching after his father secured a position as a lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
The second of four children, Adam pointed out that he takes pride in being the only member of his family who can speak Bahasa Sarawak.
He added that Sarawak is very unique, not just in the variety of languages and races but also in terms of the harmonious interaction amongst its people.
“I really like Sarawak because the people here respect one another without looking at skin colour.” – The Borneo Post
