Meaning
Used to express a potentially sensitive or controversial opinion while acknowledging the risk of being perceived negatively
Primary Function
Preemptive face-saving opener that signals awareness of potential social impact while asserting honesty
Communicative Purpose
Mitigates possible criticism or offense before delivering feedback or dissenting opinion
Pattern
At the risk of sounding
Core Structure
At the risk of sounding
Função primária
Preemptive face-saving opener that signals awareness of potential social impact while asserting honesty
Propósito comunicativo
Mitigates possible criticism or offense before delivering feedback or dissenting opinion
Situações de gatilho
Giving constructive criticism, expressing disagreement politely, sharing an unpopular viewpoint
Contextos
Professional settings, meetings, casual conversations where politeness and emotional intelligence are valued
Padrão
At the risk of sounding
Estrutura central
At the risk of sounding
Slots de substituição
adjective can be replaced by other descriptors such as rude, naive, harsh, ungrateful
Colocados típicos
- I'd like to say
- I must point out
- I disagree
- Not to offend anyone but
Substituições comuns
- At the risk of being
- Without wanting to sound
- I don't mean to sound
- If we're being honest at the risk of stating the obvious
Erros comuns
Omitting ‘sounding’ and using infinitives such as ‘to be rude’ is less idiomatic in English
Similar / contraste
Not to offend anyone, but
Interferências
Some L2 speakers mistakenly use ‘risk to sound’, which is unidiomatic in American/British English
Família do chunk
- hedging pre-emptive openers
Nuance
Conveys politeness, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence by signaling concern for social perception while maintaining honesty
Efeito pragmático
Softens criticism or dissenting remarks, fostering a cooperative communication climate
Dica de memória
Risk sounding X – I know it might seem X, but I’ll say it anyway
Nota
This chunk is used to soften the delivery of potentially negative statements by acknowledging the speaker's awareness of how their words might be perceived.
Upgrade path
from I don't mean to be X, but → At the risk of sounding X
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