Betel pestles and their handles

A. G. Maisey · 21st September 2025, 04:10 AM

Thank you for your prompt response , Detlef.

Here is the back story.

Many years ago, I was told by a Balinese friend that the name for these things was "pelecok".

A well informed Australian tribal arts dealer of Scots descent also used to refer to these little tools by the same name.

I have not been able to confirm this name in recent years with anybody whom I know in Bali.

However, in Javanese we have two words that can provide a root for "pelecok", these two words are "lecok", which as a verb becomes "nglecok" and means to crush or to grind finely to enable chewing, the second word is "locok", which as a verb becomes "nglocok", and with the same meaning, so not really two different words, but the same word with a variant pronunciation, possibly one pronunciation in Central Jawa, a variant pronunciation in East Jawa.

When we use the prefix "pe", that root of "lecok/locok" becomes a noun:- "pelecok".

It seems to me that the word you know, "plocokan", is from the same root.

The use of the suffix "an" in Malay languages creates a noun from a verb and indicates both the result and the tool used to create the result.

So " locok" becomes a noun:- "locokan", or "plocokan" , the missing "e" is common in both spelling and pronunciation in Malay languages, thus we can also write the word as "pelocokan" the sound would be the same to a foreign ear, eg:- "kris", "keris".

The use of the prefix "pe" in Malay languages creates a noun from a verb and/or an action or instrument of an action.

And that was the reason I asked my question. It would have been nice to able to identify the form you know with a definite source.

Sajen · 21st September 2025, 10:58 AM

It could be that I picked up the term in an art book but I can't remember where but an art dealer I know well and situated in Bali uses the same term.

Regards,
Detlef

A. G. Maisey · 21st September 2025, 02:01 PM

Maybe he picked it up in the same place.

However, the point of my interest is this:-

in probably all languages there is wide variation in the rendition of the words used to convey an idea, words that appear to be different might not be so different after all, and when we come to the transfer of a word written in one script to the way in which it is written in another quite different script we encounter all sorts of problems, so it is perhaps advisable when dealing with the "correct" & "incorrect" names for all sorts of things to remember that "correctness" can only ever apply to a certain window of time in a specific location. The same caution can also apply to the vocal rendition of a word when that word is used by people from differing locations & times.

Sajen · 21st September 2025, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Maybe he picked it up in the same place.

However, the point of my interest is this:-

in probably all languages there is wide variation in the rendition of the words used to convey an idea, words that appear to be different might not be so different after all, and when we come to the transfer of a word written in one script to the way in which it is written in another quite different script we encounter all sorts of problems, so it is perhaps advisable when dealing with the "correct" & "incorrect" names for all sorts of things to remember that "correctness" can only ever apply to a certain window of time in a specific location. The same caution can also apply to the vocal rendition of a word when that word is used by people from differing locations & times.

Agree complete with you!

21st September 2025, 04:10 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,059	Thank you for your prompt response , Detlef. Here is the back story. Many years ago, I was told by a Balinese friend that the name for these things was "pelecok". A well informed Australian tribal arts dealer of Scots descent also used to refer to these little tools by the same name. I have not been able to confirm this name in recent years with anybody whom I know in Bali. However, in Javanese we have two words that can provide a root for "pelecok", these two words are "lecok", which as a verb becomes "nglecok" and means to crush or to grind finely to enable chewing, the second word is "locok", which as a verb becomes "nglocok", and with the same meaning, so not really two different words, but the same word with a variant pronunciation, possibly one pronunciation in Central Jawa, a variant pronunciation in East Jawa. When we use the prefix "pe", that root of "lecok/locok" becomes a noun:- "pelecok". It seems to me that the word you know, "plocokan", is from the same root. The use of the suffix "an" in Malay languages creates a noun from a verb and indicates both the result and the tool used to create the result. So " locok" becomes a noun:- "locokan", or "plocokan" , the missing "e" is common in both spelling and pronunciation in Malay languages, thus we can also write the word as "pelocokan" the sound would be the same to a foreign ear, eg:- "kris", "keris". The use of the prefix "pe" in Malay languages creates a noun from a verb and/or an action or instrument of an action. And that was the reason I asked my question. It would have been nice to able to identify the form you know with a definite source.

21st September 2025, 10:58 AM	#2
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,346	It could be that I picked up the term in an art book but I can't remember where but an art dealer I know well and situated in Bali uses the same term. Regards, Detlef

21st September 2025, 02:01 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,059	Maybe he picked it up in the same place. However, the point of my interest is this:- in probably all languages there is wide variation in the rendition of the words used to convey an idea, words that appear to be different might not be so different after all, and when we come to the transfer of a word written in one script to the way in which it is written in another quite different script we encounter all sorts of problems, so it is perhaps advisable when dealing with the "correct" & "incorrect" names for all sorts of things to remember that "correctness" can only ever apply to a certain window of time in a specific location. The same caution can also apply to the vocal rendition of a word when that word is used by people from differing locations & times.