Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Messages about occupancy restrictions appear in contexts that essentially present the same situational features. However, at a different level, these situations are either normal or rigid, or unusual in some respect. Taking this into account, we define these situations as related. Messages referring to these situations display the same core information in terms of semantic schemata. However, the specific expressions used vary according to whether the sender perceives the situation as normal and predictable or not. According to this categorisation the sender can choose between two discourse genres: technical or non-technical. In this study, we demonstrate this adaptable message-situation pairing through the analysis of occupancy restriction messages in lifts and Parisian cafés during the Covid-19 pandemic.</jats:p>