Why did Jacques Derrida argue that speech can be misunderstood like writing?

Jacques Derrida argued that speech is as susceptible to misunderstanding as writing because both function as linguistic signs that rely on repetition and the absence of the original speaker.12

Western philosophy has traditionally privileged speech over writing, assuming that spoken words provide an authentic, immediate presence of a speaker's intentions. Derrida challenged this by noting that for speech to function as language, it must be repeatable in different contexts, even when the speaker is absent. Because meaning is not fixed by an original intention but is instead created through the "play" of differences between words—a process Derrida termed différance—meaning is never fully present.12

Instead, meaning is endlessly deferred through an infinite chain of linguistic contrasts. Consequently, speech shares the same fundamental characteristics as writing—such as absence, difference, and the potential for misinterpretation—making the traditional hierarchical distinction between the two a product of logocentrism rather than an inherent truth.12