Introduzione. Discorsi e coerenze

In contemporary text linguistics, coherence has been recognised as the fundamental principle of textuality. On the basis of this conviction, the distinction between coherent and incoherent texts and the complex relationship that, in this sense, links production and comprehension have long been (and still are) debated. The present volume is devoted to these issues and, starting from its introductory pages, aims to highlight the multiplicity of coherences present in texts and discourses, in the awareness that textual analysis reveals the contradictions that characterise human cognition.