Hello,

I recently started studying Esperanto, and I am having quite a lot of fun right now.

A small question: what is the precise difference in meaning between "timulo" and "timemulo"?

If I understood correctly the rules, "timulo" means "person who fears" (as in, is feeling fear at the moment) whereas "timemulo" is "person who has a tendency to feel fear" (but who may be unafraid right now).

However, according to the dictionary this is not the case, and "timulo" just means "coward": why is this the case?

This seems quite strange to me, as for example the word for "sleepyhead" seems to be "dormemulo", not "dormulo" - which, I suppose, would mean simply "a sleeper"...

Thanks!

There barely is any different between those words. In fact, there are many words which according to their meaning should be "-emulo", but are simply used with the -em-, like drinkemulo->drinkulo.
What you should always bare in mind is that the message must be clear, and in this case either word would do.
I personally prefer "timemulo", it seems to me more clear.

Hope this helps.

proof_lemur:Hello,

I recently started studying Esperanto, and I am having quite a lot of fun right now.

A small question: what is the precise difference in meaning between "timulo" and "timemulo"?

If I understood correctly the rules, "timulo" means "person who fears" (as in, is feeling fear at the moment) whereas "timemulo" is "person who has a tendency to feel fear" (but who may be unafraid right now).

However, according to the dictionary this is not the case, and "timulo" just means "coward": why is this the case?

This seems quite strange to me, as for example the word for "sleepyhead" seems to be "dormemulo", not "dormulo" - which, I suppose, would mean simply "a sleeper"...

Thanks!

proof_lemur:If I understood correctly the rules, "timulo" means "person who fears" (as in, is feeling fear at the moment)

Not necessarily. The ul suffix means "a person of a certain characterisation", shown by the root. So a timulo is really just "a person characterised by fear", which has the idea of a coward. When using this suffix in a verb root, the meaning will most often equate with an inclination towards that action (drinkulo is a similar example) so there's no need to add the em suffix as it would usually be superflous.

If you wanted to show that the person is fearing right now (or in a more general present-tense context), you would say timanto. This by the way is where Esperanto comes from (one who hopes).

I would think of a timulo as a coward, but a timemulo as merely shy.

It's just my gut feeling, but doesn't it feel that way to you? A coward fears, but a shy person just has a greater tendency to be a little frightened at smaller things.

Ah, I understand now.

Dankegon!

jchthys:I would think of a timulo as a coward, but a timemulo as merely shy. It's just my gut feeling, but doesn't it feel that way to you? A coward fears, but a shy person just has a greater tendency to be a little frightened at smaller things.

I tend to think of shyness as a more specific form of timidity or fearfulness, or something that may be the cause of fear but not really the same thing. Tim' just seems a bit to strong to me for that. Esperanto has the words sinĝena, sinĝenema, hontema for shy so I'd personally be more inclined to use those words with ul to show a shy person, although I must admit I have seen tim' used that way on a couple of occasions. But to my thinking a timemulo would always say coward to me, if only because of convention. My dictionaries have it the same way. If it's worth anything, PMEG seems to treat them as exactly the same also:

PMEG:Antaŭ la sufikso UL oni povas ofte forlasi EM, se la signifo restas klara:
* timemulo → timulo

tommjames:Esperanto has the words sinĝena, sinĝenema, hontema for shy

My dictionary also suggests timida and malaplomba.

mnlg:

tommjames:Esperanto has the words sinĝena, sinĝenema, hontema for shy

My dictionary also suggests timida and malaplomba.

I like "Sinĝena"! That will be a good translation for overly self-concious!

I think "hontema" is more "having a tendency of being ashamed of oneself". OK you can call that shyness in a broader sense.

"Malaplomba" seems to mean "panicking"...

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BTW, what do you guys feel this "shy" means in the proverb "once bitten, twice shy"? There is a similar Chinese proverb "一朝被蛇咬, 十年怕草繩" (Bitten by a snake once, fear a rope for ten years), so I wonder whether it's indeed "fear"?

LyzTyphone:BTW, what do you guys feel this "shy" means in the proverb "once bitten, twice shy"? There is a similar Chinese proverb "一朝被蛇咬, 十年怕草繩" (Bitten by a snake once, fear a rope for ten years), so I wonder whether it's indeed "fear"?

How about "Unufoje mordita, dufoje evitema." The second one would be different though. Maybe, "Unufoje mordita de serpento, dekjare timema pri ŝnuroj."

Oŝo-Jabe:

LyzTyphone:BTW, what do you guys feel this "shy" means in the proverb "once bitten, twice shy"? There is a similar Chinese proverb "一朝被蛇咬, 十年怕草繩" (Bitten by a snake once, fear a rope for ten years), so I wonder whether it's indeed "fear"?

How about "Unufoje mordita, dufoje evitema." The second one would be different though. Maybe, "Unufoje mordita de serpento, dekjare timema pri ŝnuroj."

I see~