<![CDATA[Expressive speech acts allow speakers to communicate emotions and attitudes, particularly in podcast conversations involving personal storytelling. Limited scholarly attention has been given to the explicit and implicit expression of sadness and its relationship with experiences of loss. This qualitative study examines expressions of sadness in selected episodes of The Diary of a CEO Podcast. The data comprised 38 utterances produced by Simon Cowell, Mo Gawdat, and Liam Payne. Searle’s Speech Act Theory guided the identification of utterances with an expressive function, and Lazarus and Folkman’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory supported the classification of the forms of harm and loss represented in the speakers’ narratives. The analysis identified six categories: Loss of a Loved One, Loss of Identity, Loss of Self-esteem or Social Esteem, Loss of Something Personally Valued, Loss of a Meaningful Relationship, and Loss of a Valuable Goal or Commitment. Loss of a Loved One was the most frequent category (39.5%), followed by Loss of Identity (31.6%). The results also showed that 35 utterances (92.1%) expressed sadness explicitly, whereas three utterances (7.9%) conveyed it implicitly through metaphors or rhetorical questions. The findings indicate that sadness was predominantly communicated openly and was mainly associated with bereavement and identity disruption.]]>
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