In the process of writing, language users assume that “what is written will
make sense in terms of their normal experience of things” (Yule, 1996: 84). That
means they assume that the message they want to give in writing can normally be
understood by the people who read it. This normality assumption is naturally based
on the psychological, social and cultural norms of the context in which the
communication takes place. However, it may happen to be the case that what is
normal for one may be something very unusual and incomprehensible for the other,
especially if the topic is unfamiliar for the listener/reader. In this sense, it is more
difficult to repair the lack of coherence in writing than in speaking because the flow
of the conversation and the opportunity or the chance to ask for clarification or to
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flashback for background information in spoken interaction do not exist in written
discourse.