However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language after centuries of language shift. It is common for young and middle-aged Hakka and aboriginal people to speak Mandarin and Hokkien better than, or to the exclusion of, their ethnic languages.
Conversely, many fewer people retain the ability to converse in their native language over time due to language shift. Typically, younger and middle-aged Hakka and aboriginal individuals possess a greater proficiency in Mandarin and Hokkien compared to, or even at the expense of, their ethnic languages.