Laughing together in supervision interaction

Abstract

It is well known that laughter in conversation serves to manage delicacy or achieve solidarity. This study examines the shared laughter between students and supervisors during university supervision meetings. Drawing from 20 sequences of joint laughter, this conversation analytic study identifies patterns regarding how such joint laughter is achieved, the turn features of laughables that lead to it, and what the joint laughter accomplishes in the interaction. It is shown that joint laughter typically follows a laugh invitation or voluntary laughter responsive to a laughable turn, regardless of which party initiates it. In particular, misaligning actions significantly contribute as the source of laughables. Through joint laughter, participants demonstrate their equal affective stance regarding the laughable matter, and promote a more productive interaction. Overall, this study aims to enhance our understanding of supervision interactions by elucidating seemingly trivial phenomenon like laughing together. Data were collected in institutions in the UK, and all recorded interactions are in English.