Languages and Literature /Contents

Bidayuh, Melanau and Kajang sub-families

Asmah Haji Omar

Bidayuh speakers form the second-largest indigenous ethnolinguistic group in Sarawak. Their concentration near the state capital, Kuching, led to Bidayuh being the subject of early study. Speakers of the smaller Melanau language sub-family mainly live at the mouth of Sarawak's longest river, the Rajang, while Kajang is spoken further inland. Much research remains to be done on these sub-families.

  • Information in the full article includes
  • Bidayuh
  • Melanau
  • Kajang
Sarawak Dayaks

Chalmers' 19th-century vocabulary of 'Sarawak Dayaks' was of a Biatah dialect.