Joint fantasising as relational practice in Brazilian Portuguese interactions

•Joint fantasising involves co-constructing imaginary worlds with their own logic.•Brazilian speakers of Portuguese frequently use voicing to enact fantasy persona.•Joint fantasising is consequential for the ongoing co-constitution of relationships.

Joint fantasising involves the (co-)construction of imaginary worlds with their own local logic. An analysis of instances of joint fantasising identified in a corpus of recordings of over eighteen hours of ordinary mundane talk amongst Brazilian speakers of Portuguese revealed that participants very often act out fantasy persona through various forms of voicing in the course of such sequences. In doing so they co-constitute relational connection (and in some cases relational separation) with other members, as well as accomplishing interpersonally sensitive acts, including teases and complaints. Joint fantasising is thus not simply a matter of mutual entertainment or enjoyment for participants, but is also consequential for the ongoing co-constitution of their relationships.