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MUSCOVITE Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary
Speak to/with
Hi,Is it true that there are some subtle differences in using 'to speak to' and 'to speak with'?One of the sources (which is in my native tongue, not English) claims the following (my translation, sorry):(1) SPEAK WITH is used when all the people involved in the conversation/talk are assumed to play "equal parts" (ie, all participants are expected to alternately be speakers and listeners)(2) SPEAK TO is used if one of these people takes the floor whereas the other participants will have to be but listeners.Looking forward to you comments.mus-te
Top answer
That might be one case. There is also the case in which 'speak with' simply indicates a longer conversation than 'speak to'. With such common verb phrases, there is seldom a simple mutually exclusive bifurcation (that's not the word I want, but what I mean is that there is no simple two-dimensional distinction of meanings).
- That might be one case.
- There is also the case in which 'speak with' simply indicates a longer conversation than 'speak to'.
- With such common verb phrases, there is seldom a simple mutually exclusive bifurcation (that's not the word I want, but what I mean is that there is no simple two-dimensional distinction of meanings).
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3 Answers
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That might be one case. There is also the case in which 'speak with' simply indicates a longer conversation than 'speak to'.
With such common verb phrases, there is seldom a simple mutually exclusive bifurcation (that's not the word I want, but what I mean is that there is no simple two-dimensional distinction of meanings).
With such common verb phrases, there is seldom a simple mutually exclusive bifurcation (that's not the word I want, but what I mean is that there is no simple two-dimensional distinction of meanings).
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Hello,May I make a quess at the answer?[speak with someone] -----speak something connected with someone;........{speak to someone}-------speak something unto (= reaching as far as ) someone...Could any native speaker tell me correct or not?Thank you for your help.
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No, bepleased. Please confine yourself to asking your own questions on your own threads, not trying to answer other members' questions or posting on their threads. Your approach to English is very confusing to others, and your posts will be moderated if you start trying to answer other people's enquiries.
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