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youkoufiona
what action is this?
The father relentlessly pressed forward pushing out sibilants, like a wild man.
I don't understand "pressed forward pushing out sibilants", what does specifically the father's action look like? Could you explain it in a simpler sentence? Thanks in advance.
Oct 3, 2014 6:25 PM
Answers · 5
2
It means the father is walking forward toward another person, and making "Ssss" sounds. It most likely means the father's mood is very threatening and unpleasant.
October 3, 2014
2
Andi's answer is correct. I would like to add:
1) A Google search shows me that this is a sentence from an English translation of Franz Kafka's story, "The Metamorphosis."
2) This is a colorful piece of very original creative writing. It is not everyday English.
3) A few paragraphs later, we read: "If only his father had not hissed so unbearably." "Pushing out sibilants" is a colorful way of saying "hissing."
4) It is a translation, and maybe the translator is using an unusual phrase to capture something about the phrasing in the original German.
October 3, 2014
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youkoufiona
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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