How is joint laughter ‘pre’ to advice-giving: A sequential pattern that centralizes trouble in student supervision

Abstract

This conversation analytic study identifies a sequential pattern, where the construction of laughable is succeeded by joint laughter between students and supervisors, and is used to anticipate the exposure of trouble and advice-giving. Drawing from authentic supervision meetings in UK institutions, this study identifies key features that appeal joint laughter: (1) students’ disaligment with formal supervisory questions and (2) supervisors’ disruption of students’ consistency of talk to point out something problematic. Both warranting further unpacking, these two types of interactional trouble make the activity of advice-giving relevant. This study not only contributes to the properties of laughable, but also to the sequential environmental prerequisites for advice-giving in supervision interaction.