Types of Perak Dialects You Might Just Have Discovered

The fortunate state of Perak has 5 main types of dialects or accents: the Northern dialect, Patani dialect, Indonesian Archipelago dialect, Southern Peninsula dialect, and the Perak River Valley dialect.

Because Perak shares borders with other states, it is inevitable that it receives linguistic influences from neighboring regions. For instance, residents in the northern part of Perak (Kerian and Larut Matang) such as Bagan Serai, Taiping, and Parit Buntar, extending to Pantai Remis, are more influenced by the Kedah dialect and are fluent in the northern accent.

According to historical accounts, a large portion of the population in the area migrated to Perak from Kedah due to the Siamese threat in 1821.

In the Hulu Perak region, namely Kroh, Grik, and Lenggong, the community largely uses the Patani dialect. This makes their dialect sound similar to the Kelantan dialect. Just like in the north, the residents of Hulu Perak mostly consist of people from Patani and Reman.

Next is the Kinta district. Its dialect also varies according to its community. The majority of the population here came from the Indonesian archipelago, such as the Rawa, Mandheling, Banjar, and many others, and they use the Indonesian archipelago dialect.

Meanwhile, in the south, specifically the Batang Padang district up to Bagan Datoh, the dialect is more influenced by the southern Peninsular dialects, such as those of Selangor and Johor.

This is because the community also consists of migrants from Selangor (Javanese and Bugis people) during the Selangor Civil War around 1860 to 1870.

Then there is the central part of Perak, such as Kuala Kangsar, Sayong, Karai, Bota, Parit, Lambor, Kg. Gajah, and Tg. Blanja. This is what is considered the authentic Perak dialect because it is quite distinct from other regional dialects and is very popular among people who enjoy listening to the banter of individuals using this accent.