speak or talk
Is there any difference between "speak" and "talk"? Thank you in advance.
4 Answers
Have a look at the following definitions:
speak
- to say words, to use the voice, or to have a conversation with someone
Would you mind speaking more slowly, please?
"Can I speak to/mainly US with Ian please?" "Speaking (= This is Ian)"
If he tells Julie what I said, I'll never speak to him again.
She spoke of her sadness over her father's death.
She speaks very highly of (= says good things about) the new director.
I can certainly come but I can't speak for my wife (= I can't tell you whether she can or not).
- to (be able to) talk in a language
He speaks fluent French.
How many foreign languages do you speak?
- to give a formal talk to a group of people
Who is speaking in the debate tonight?
The Queen speaks to the nation on television every Christmas.
.
talk
to say words aloud; to speak to someone
We were just talking about Simon's new girlfriend.
My little girl has just started to talk.
She talks to her mother on the phone every week.
talk business/politics, etc.
to discuss a particular subject
Whenever they're together, they talk politics.
And a few notes from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:
When one person is saying things, you can use talk or speak, but talk is more usual and speakslightly literary
• She talked about her job.
• He spoke longingly of his home country.
• Don't interrupt me when I'm talking/speaking.
If people are having a conversation, always use talk
• We talked about our relationship.
• They talked for hours.
If you say that two people are not speaking, you mean they are not willing to talk to each other
• They've had a row and they're not speaking.
Someone who can talk has learned to use language
• She could talk before she was two.
If you can speak, you are able to say something on a particular occasion
• I was too scared to speak.
!! When you mention what language someone uses, always use speak
• She speaks (=knows how to use) French and Spanish.
• We spoke in German at first, then English.
!! When you ask for someone on the telephone, use speak
• Can I speak to Clare?
!! You can speak words. Do not use talk •
• I spoke the words as clearly as I could.
!! You can talk sense or talk nonsense. Do not use speak
• I think she talks a lot of sense.
It's mainly a matter of collocations. For example, you'll say "Can you speak louder", "He spoke slowly", not "Can you talk louder" or "He talked slowly". But you can say "Can I speak to your father" and "Can I talk to your father" and the meaning will be the same. Generally speaking, speak is more formal than talk.
A few notes from my Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:
And you can read about "talk" and "speak" here
I have just found a link about "speak" and "talk". Perhaps, this is easier because it has a lot of explanations with the examples.
Good question, I can only answer it with examples:
'I speak English'. It is not "I talk English."
They are interchangeable in many cases, almost synonyms. 'Talk' is usually a noun and 'Speak' is usually a verb.
"I will have a talk with her in the morning." noun "I will talk with her in the morning." verb
"I will speak with her in the morning." verb
but
you cannot say
"I will have a speak with her in the morning."
I hope this helped.
If they are used in the context of "I have to speak to you" or "I have to talk to you.".: ..no there is not much difference grammatically.
I believe that "speak" is used in more formal settings. If you had something important to discuss with your boss, you would probably say "I need to speak to you about something important."
If you are talking to a family member or friend, you would probably say "I need to talk to you, when you have the chance."
As always, I'm interested in the discussion! 
