Balsam vs Balsem: Tracing Dutch Phonological Traces in Our Vocabulary

The variant 'balsem' is more dominantly used due to the influence of Dutch colonial heritage in Indonesia. In Dutch phonology, the vowel 'a' in the final syllable often shifts to a schwa 'e' sound in daily usage within the Indonesian archipelago. Furthermore, people tend to write words based on the sounds heard across generations (phonetically) rather than referring to their original etymology.

This word originates from the Latin 'balsamum', rooted in the Greek 'balsamon'. Historically, the term refers to the aromatic resin of certain plants used for medicinal purposes. The form 'balsam' is a loanword that stays closer to its original linguistic roots, while the variant 'balsem' is heavily influenced by the Dutch spelling and pronunciation of 'balsem'.

Culturally, 'balsem' has become a generic term in Indonesia to describe warming rub ointments. The use of this word is closely tied to traditional medicine culture and the 'kerokan' (coin rubbing) habit. Although the formal form is 'balsam', the use of 'balsem' is actually considered more familiar and grassroots in everyday conversation and legacy commercial product labeling.