Examining the Emergence of Non-Humorous Laughter in Criticism Sequences

This paper contributes to the existing literature on laughter, criticism sequences, and the management of social relationships in mundane interactions. To achieve its aim, it examines the emergence of laughter in criticism sequences in Saudi Arabic mundane interactions. The study first seeks to identify the sequential positioning of laughter in these sequences and analyzes what action(s) laughter might perform. The data of this study includes 185 minutes of mundane Arabic interactions taken from the Bedaya Channel. It embraces recorded interactions among 43 male participants aged between 19 and 32. The data analysis shows that laughter appears in two sequential positions as it, in the first position, infiltrates the criticizing elements, or secondly emerges in turns’ final. The participants employ laughter in their turns to mitigate criticism as a problematic action that might provoke disaffiliation in response. Moreover, analysis shows that shared laughter is a versatile interactional resource that helps participants end the ongoing actions while displaying their overt alignment. In addition, laughter can show participants’ intimacy, which maintains their social relationships and sustains group cohesion. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of laughter as a multifaceted interactional phenomenon, its social functions, and its role in the management and maintenance of the participants’ social relationships.