Speak and Talk and Meet

Arlene writes:
Please tell me the difference between and when to use “speak” and “talk”. is it speak ‘to’ or speak ‘with’; talk ‘to’ or talk ‘with’?

Also, would I like to “meet you” or “meet with you” for a meeting/talk?

Very interesting. "Speak" and "talk" are close in meaning. "Speak" is a little closer to the physical act of using the vocal cords to make a sound. "Talk" is using audible (or gestured) words to communicate. People can speak, and dogs can speak, but dogs can't talk!

We use "to" with both of these words when it's a one-way communication: He talked to the audience; she spoke to her students. We signal two-way communication by "with": He talked with his children. She spoke with her colleagues.

As for "meet," we use it alone when we encounter something or someone for the first time: I met a bear in the woods last fall. (And I did!) Or we use it for a rendezvous: Let's meet for lunch on Friday. We use "meet with" for when we deal with or confer with someone: I met with my boss this morning. (Informal American usage would be "meet up with": I met up with him on the street.)

"Meet with" can also mean to experience or undergo something: I met with an obstacle as I climbed the mountain.

By the way, "meet" comes from Old English metan, and it's related to Old English mot, meaning an assembly or court. In a mot, freemen would meet to debate matters of public business...so something debatable became a "moot point," not a matter of solid fact.

Comments

[Lakshmi Mareddy]

What about "Motley" as in Motley crowd? Is this derived from Mot?