Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Definition: Speak |
SpeakVerb1. Express in speech; "She talks a lot of nonsense". 2. Exchange thoughts; talk with; "We often talk business"; also used metaphorically: "Actions talk louder than words". 3. Use language: "the baby talks already"; "the prisoner won't speak"; "they speak a strange dialect". 4. Give a speech to; "The chairman addressed the board of trustees". 5. Make a characteristic or natural sound; "The drums spoke". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "speak" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Multilingual Slang | Bielorussian (pizdzec'), Catalan (pelicar). (references) |
Slang in 1811 | SPEAK. Any thing stolen. He has made a good speak; he has stolen something considerable. Source: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Speech can be described as the act of producing sound through the use of the vocal chords or other means, such as sign language, to create linguistic acts that communicate information from a initiator to a recipient.In more colloquial terms, speech can be described in several different ways:
However, speech can also take place inside one's head, known as intrapersonal communication, for example, when one thinks or utters sounds of approval or disapproval. At a deeper level, one could even consider subconscious processes, including dreams where aspects of oneself communicate with each other (see Sigmund Freud), as part of intrapersonal communication, even though most human beings do not seem to have direct access to such communication.
- A linguistic act designed to convey information.
- Various types of linguistic acts where the audience consists of more than one individual, including public speaking, oration, and quotation.
- The physical act of speaking, primarily through the use of vocal chords to produce sound. See phonology and linguistics for more detailed information on the physical act of speaking.
There are several factors that can affect the quality of speech as such. Among these are:
Thus, it is clear that speech has both expressive and receptive elements. The purpose of speech can be to convey meaning or to increase social bonds between individuals and/or groups (it is often both). For the latter shallowness is not a problem. The success of a speech act depends on numerous factors, including the presence or absence of a variety of speech disorders, the ability of the speaker to express the intended message, and the ability and willingness of the audience to play the role of recipient.
- Diseases and disorders of the lungs or the vocal chords, including paralysis, respiratory infections, and cancers of the lungs and throat.
- Diseases and disorders of the brain, including alogia, aphasias and speech processing disorders, where impaired perception of the message (as opposed to the actual sound) leads to poor speech production.
- Articulatory problems, such as stuttering, lisping, cleft palate, ataxia, or nerve damage leading to problems in articulation. Tourette syndrome and nervous tics can also affect speech.
- Problems in the perception of sound and auditory information can affect speech. In addition to aphasias, anomia and certain types of dyslexia can impede the quality of auditory perception, and therefore, expression. Hearing impairments and deafness can be considered to fall into this category.
Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Speech."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
SPEAK | English | Supported prototype easy-access authoring keys | Computing, Language |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: SpeakSynonyms: address (v), mouth (v), talk (v), utter (v), verbalize (v). (additional references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I'm an educated man, but I can't speak intelligently about the travel habits of William Santiago (A Few Good Men; writing credit: Aaron Sorkin) I was the only one that could speak for them, and for the children we were (Sleepers; writing credit: Barry Levinson) Our job was to select someone who could speak for everybody (Contact; writing credit: Carl Sagan;) I speak simple English, I don't have an accent as far as I can tell (The Lost World: Jurassic Park; writing credit: David Koepp) Speak quickly (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; writing credit: Frances Walsh) | |
Lyrics | Don't speak, don't speak, don't speak, oh (Don't Speak; performing artist: No Doubt) Speak to me, don't mislead me, the calm I feel means a storm is swelling; (Trouble Me; performing artist: 10,000 Maniacs) Speak your heart, Don't bite your tongue (We Need A Resolution; performing artist: Aaliyah) Oh I'll speak my Southern English just as natural as I please ("My Home's in Alabama"; performing artist: Alabama) Does she speak eloquently (You Oughta Know; performing artist: Alanis Morissette) | |
Clever | Welcome to America… Now speak English. (references; author: unknown) Texas: Si, Hablo Ingles (Yes, I Speak English) (references; author: unknown) In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak. (references; author: unknown) Your actions speak so loud that I can't hear what you're saying. (references; author: unknown) Kindness: A language the deaf can hear, the blind can see, and the mute can speak. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | To Speak or Not to Speak (1970) Let Me Speak (1964) Speak for Yourself Mean Moe (1963) When False Tongues Speak (1917) Speak No Evil (1914) | |
Song Titles | Don't Speak (performing artist: No Doubt) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
![]() | [A blind and deaf Chinese girl is learning to speak English] / WHO p. Credit: National Library of Medicine; photo by J. Morgenstern.. | ![]() | Speak Up America : Talk About Perscriptions / Design: Berns & Kay, Ltd. Illustration: Kathleen Carson. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
![]() | Speak out, or git out, one or t'other. Credit: Library of Congress. | ![]() | Good morning, Judge Priest, could I speak with you in private a minute?. Credit: Library of Congress. |
![]() | Speak to me!. Credit: Library of Congress. | ![]() | Billy Mason receives an invitation to speak from the Minnesota G.O.P. Elephant. Credit: Library of Congress. |
![]() | "Speak softly and carry a big stick" / Herblock. Credit: Library of Congress. | ![]() | Crowd of Puerto Ricans gather to hear former Secretary of State Henry A. Wallace speak. Credit: Library of Congress. |
![]() | Group of residents of Weatherford, Texas, listening to politician speak. Credit: Library of Congress. | ![]() | Mexican miner's wife. She doesn't speak English. Scotts Run, Bertha Hill, West Virginia. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
![]() | ![]() |
| "Speak No Evil" by Toby Cummings Commentary: "Just a picture a caught when the blinds on my window were down and the sun was streaming through.." | "Hear, see, speak no evil" by Stevan Sheets Commentary: "My buddy kory hearing no, seeing no, speaking no evil." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption | Play | Caption |
| Announce; annunciate; speak; tell; impart; television; radio; reporter; forecast; . | Converse; background noise; gathering; party; cocktail; chat; chitchat; commune; confer; discourse; exchange; gab; parley; rap; schmoose; speak; yack; talk. | ||
| Announce; annunciate; speak; tell; impart; television; radio; reporter; forecast; . | |||
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Abraham Cowley | Words that weep and tears that speak. |
Author Unknown | Actions speak louder than words. |
Chilo | Speak no evil of the dead. |
Demosthenes | The facts speak for themselves. |
Francois Rabelais | Speak the truth and shame the Devil. |
John Heywood | All is not gospel that thou dost speak. |
Plato | Let nobody speak mischief of anybody. |
The Seven Sages | Do not speak ill of the dead. |
William Shakespeare | Speak low, if you speak love. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | I say peaceful, because I shall have occasion in another place to speak of conquest, which some esteem a way of beginning of governments. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | Our bourgeois, not content with having the wives and daughters of their proletarians at their disposal, not to speak of common prostitutes, take the greatest pleasure in seducing each other's wives. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Advisers shall not speak except on a request made by the Delegate whom they accompany and by the special authorisation of the President of the Conference, and may not vote. (reference) |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | Let me, however, make it clear that I have no official mission or status of any kind, and that I speak only for myself. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
Miranda v. Arizona | 1966 | The privilege against self-incrimination, which has had a long and expansive historical development, is the essential mainstay of our adversary system, and guarantees to the individual the "right to remain silent unless he chooses to speak in the unfettered exercise of his own will," during a period of custodial interrogation as well as in the courts or during the course of other official investigations. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | I know enough of music to speak decidedly on that point |
Hunting of the Snark | Carroll, Lewis | Now open your mouth and speak. |
A Christmas Carol | Dickens, Charles | Speak out plain |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | It is scarcely decorous, however, to speak all, even where we speak impersonally |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Let them bring her to me now, and I will just speak to her very gently |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | He began to speak in a quiet tone |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | How darkly and how deadly dost thou speak! Your eyes do menace me. |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | Joad opened his mouth to speak. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | I must then hire another to defend my right, it being against all rules of law that any man should be allowed to speak for himself |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | I speak of fishing only now, for I had long felt differently about fowling, and sold my gun before I went to the woods |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Turns head to you when you speak. (references) | |
Speak slowly and in a relaxed manner. (references) | ||
Ask people to speak louder, but not shout. (references) | ||
Business | About 77 percent of the population speak English. (references) | |
Many travel regularly to the United States and speak English. (references) | ||
The other emirates, with no oil to speak of, rely heavily on federal funds. (references) | ||
Children | Sierra Leone | These groups generally all speak distinct primary languages and are concentrated outside urban areas. (references) |
Yugoslavia | Due to this lack of primary schooling, many Romani children do not learn to speak Serbian, and there is no instruction available in the Romani language. (references) | |
Cameroon | On September 10, several blind persons blocked the road junction in Yaounde between the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister's office and asked to speak to the Prime Minister about the eviction of several blind persons from a building in which they were living illegally. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Seychelles | In most instances, citizens speak freely, including in Parliament. (references) |
Hong Kong | Persons speak freely to the media, and many use the media to voice their views. (references) | |
Singapore | Academics speak and publish widely, and engage in debate on social and political issues. (references) | |
Economic History | Guatemala | Many speak English. (references) |
Estonia | Most people also speak Russian. (references) | |
Lithuania | A minority speak Russian and Polish. (references) | |
Human Rights | Ireland | However, the accused may not be convicted based solely on a refusal to speak. (references) |
Greece | Defendants who do not speak Greek have the right to a court-appointed interpreter. (references) | |
Qatar | In such cases, lawyers prepare the litigants and speak for them during the hearing. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Guatemala | Many indigenous people are illiterate or do not speak Spanish. (references) |
El Salvador | In reality, very few persons speak the indigenous language of Nahuatl. (references) | |
Mexico | According to a 2000 World Bank report, approximately 808,100 individuals speak only an indigenous language. (references) | |
Minorities | Moldova | The Gagauz speak Russian and Gagauz, a Turkic language. (references) |
Nepal | The country has over 75 ethnic groups that speak 50 different languages. (references) | |
Lesotho | Most citizens speak a common language and share common historical and cultural traditions. (references) | |
Political Economy | Costa Rica | Many Costa Rican speak excellent American English. (references) |
Singapore | A Speakers' Corner continued to provide a public forum for persons to speak on a range of issues. (references) | |
Singapore | However, government restrictions on persons wishing to use it inhibited their ability to speak freely. (references) | |
Political Rights | Botswana | The paper is expected to be considered by the Parliament in 2002. Members of the National Assembly are required to speak English. (references) |
Egypt | Muslim Brotherhood members are known as such publicly and openly speak their views, although they do not explicitly identify themselves as members of the organization. (references) | |
Greece | While citizens exercised their political rights, there occasionally were charges that the Government limits the right of some individuals, particularly Muslims and Slavo-Macedonians, to speak publicly and associate freely on the basis of their self-proclaimed ethnic identity. (references) | |
Trade | Nigeria | Consequently, preference shareholders are entitled to receive notices and attend all general meetings of the company and may speak and vote on any resolution before the meeting. (references) |
Travel | West Bank | All Palestinians speak Arabic. (references) |
Venezuela | Many executives speak English. (references) | |
Women | Malawi | Women usually are at a disadvantage in marriage, family, and property rights, but they have begun to speak out against abuse and discrimination. (references) |
Pakistan | Federal Ministers, especially the Minister for Women's Development, have continued to speak out against "honor killings" at public seminars and symposiums. (references) | |
Czech Republic | Gender studies experts reported that women were ashamed to report rape or speak about it, and that the police were not equipped to help, either by attitude or training. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Korea | Many such women, unable to speak Chinese, are held as virtual prisoners. (references) |
Lithuania | She was the first victim to sue the traffickers and to speak out about the problem in public. (references) | |
Egypt | They speak vigorously on behalf of worker concerns, but public confrontations between the ETUF and the Government are rare. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | STORY, n. A narrative, commonly untrue. The truth of the stories here following has, however, not been successfully impeached. One evening Mr. Rudolph Block, of New York, found himself seated at dinner alongside Mr. Percival Pollard, the distinguished critic. "Mr. Pollard," said he, "my book, The Biography of a Dead Cow, is published anonymously, but you can hardly be ignorant of its authorship. Yet in reviewing it you speak of it as the work of the Idiot of the Century. Do you think that fair criticism?" "I am very sorry, sir," replied the critic, amiably, "but it did not occur to me that you really might not wish the public to know who wrote it." Mr. W.C. Morrow, who used to live in San Jose, California, was addicted to writing ghost stories which made the reader feel as if a stream of lizards, fresh from the ice, were streaking it up his back and hiding in his hair. San Jose was at that time believed to be haunted by the visible spirit of a noted bandit named Vasquez, who had been hanged there. The town was not very well lighted, and it is putting it mildly to say that San Jose was reluctant to be out o' nights. One particularly dark night two gentlemen were abroad in the loneliest spot within the city limits, talking loudly to keep up their courage, when they came upon Mr. J.J. Owen, a well-known journalist. "Why, Owen," said one, "what brings you here on such a night as this? You told me that this is one of Vasquez' favorite haunts! And you are a believer. Aren't you afraid to be out?" "My dear fellow," the journalist replied with a drear autumnal cadence in his speech, like the moan of a leaf-laden wind, "I am afraid to be in. I have one of Will Morrow's stories in my pocket and I don't dare to go where there is light enough to read it." Rear-Admiral Schley and Representative Charles F. Joy were standing near the Peace Monument, in Washington, discussing the question, Is success a failure? Mr. Joy suddenly broke off in the middle of an eloquent sentence, exclaiming: "Hello! I've heard that band before. Santlemann's, I think." "I don't hear any band," said Schley. "Come to think, I don't either," said Joy; "but I see General Miles coming down the avenue, and that pageant always affects me in the same way as a brass band. One has to scrutinize one's impressions pretty closely, or one will mistake their origin." While the Admiral was digesting this hasty meal of philosophy General Miles passed in review, a spectacle of impressive dignity. When the tail of the seeming procession had passed and the two observers had recovered from the transient blindness caused by its effulgence -- "He seems to be enjoying himself," said the Admiral. "There is nothing," assented Joy, thoughtfully, "that he enjoys one-half so well." The illustrious statesman, Champ Clark, once lived about a mile from the village of Jebigue, in Missouri. One day he rode into town on a favorite mule, and, hitching the beast on the sunny side of a street, in front of a saloon, he went inside in his character of teetotaler, to apprise the barkeeper that wine is a mocker. It was a dreadfully hot day. Pretty soon a neighbor came in and seeing Clark, said: "Champ, it is not right to leave that mule out there in the sun. He'll roast, sure! -- he was smoking as I passed him." "O, he's all right," said Clark, lightly; "he's an inveterate smoker." The neighbor took a lemonade, but shook his head and repeated that it was not right. He was a conspirator. There had been a fire the night before: a stable just around the corner had burned and a number of horses had put on their immortality, among them a young colt, which was roasted to a rich nut-brown. Some of the boys had turned Mr. Clark's mule loose and substituted the mortal part of the colt. Presently another man entered the saloon. "For mercy's sake!" he said, taking it with sugar, "do remove that mule, barkeeper: it smells." "Yes," interposed Clark, "that animal has the best nose in Missouri. But if he doesn't mind, you shouldn't." In the course of human events Mr. Clark went out, and there, apparently, lay the incinerated and shrunken remains of his charger. The boys idd not have any fun out of Mr. Clarke, who looked at the body and, with the non-committal expression to which he owes so much of his political preferment, went away. But walking home late that night he saw his mule standing silent and solemn by the wayside in the misty moonlight. Mentioning the name of Helen Blazes with uncommon emphasis, Mr. Clark took the back track as hard as ever he could hook it, and passed the night in town. General H.H. Wotherspoon, president of the Army War College, has a pet rib-nosed baboon, an animal of uncommon intelligence but imperfectly beautiful. Returning to his apartment one evening, the General was surprised and pained to find Adam (for so the creature is named, the general being a Darwinian) sitting up for him and wearing his master's best uniform coat, epaulettes and all. "You confounded remote ancestor!" thundered the great strategist, "what do you mean by being out of bed after naps? -- and with my coat on!" Adam rose and with a reproachful look got down on all fours in the manner of his kind and, scuffling across the room to a table, returned with a visiting-card: General Barry had called and, judging by an empty champagne bottle and several cigar-stumps, had been hospitably entertained while waiting. The general apologized to his faithful progenitor and retired. The next day he met General Barry, who said: "Spoon, old man, when leaving you last evening I forgot to ask you about those excellent cigars. Where did you get them?" General Wotherspoon did not deign to reply, but walked away. "Pardon me, please," said Barry, moving after him; "I was joking of course. Why, I knew it was not you before I had been in the room fifteen minutes." |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Bob Jones | I certainly can't speak for all of the Southerners or all of the Northerners. This problem is a human nature problem, it's not a regional problem. Racism exists in the North, East, South, West, everywhere. |
Dennis Miller | Moses thought he could speak to God, Mohammed thought God spoke to him, Jesus thought he was the son of God. |
Gennifer Flowers | My husband is an Arkansas insider, so to speak, in that he actually was Webb Hubbell's brother-in-law at one time. |
Harry Belafonte | If I was them, I would use the platform to speak out against the ill-advised policies of the administration. I would go as far as inviting to be fired, if that's what happens. |
Jim Morris | I'm doing inspirational speaking across the country right now. And as a matter of fact, I go to Hawaii tomorrow. I'll speak to a group there. |
Liza Minnelli | Well, I know one thing, he does a lot of other shows besides me. He's always involved. He's very protective. And I think a woman needs that. I have to say I do. I can only speak for myself. I don't mean to sound pompous. |
Mariah Carey | You know, it was always interesting to me when I would go to other countries and they would be singing my lyrics back to me. But if we tried to have a conversation, we couldn't because they don't speak the same language. |
Naomi Campbell | None of them and I maintain a friendship because I never speak publicly about them. I just love that they trust me and I love their loyalty. |
Robert Novak | We had the first time, the only time, a prime minister of Japan gave an interview in English. It was very bad politically for him to speak English like he was kind of kowtowing to the Americans, but we did that from Tokyo. |
Rush Limbaugh | But this same government should not subpoena a reporter's home phone records because it chills the media's ability to speak, even though in this case the Associated Press has been receiving investigative information in violation of the law. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
James Monroe | 1817-1825 | Of the virtue of the people and of the heroic exploits of the Army, the Navy, and the militia I need not speak. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | The United Nations Organization, if we have the will adequately to staff it and to make it work as it should, will provide a great voice to speak constantly and responsibly in terms of world collaboration and world well-being. |
Dwight Eisenhower | 1953-1961 | In this confidence, we speak plainly to all peoples. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | To speak from this same historic rostrum is a sobering experience. |
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | Let me speak now about some matters here at home. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | Now, there's another great heritage to speak of this evening. |
George Bush | 1989-1993 | A worker, dressed in grimy overalls, rises to speak at the factory gates. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Americans speak every language, know every county. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Speak" is generally used as a lexical verb (infinitive) -- approximately 75.26% of the time. "Speak" is used about 9,420 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 75.26% | 7,089 | 1,366 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 24.73% | 2,330 | 3,816 |
| Total | 100.00% | 9,420 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "speak" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Speak | Last name | 200 | 36,781 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
Expressions using "speak": actions speak louder than words ♦ as we speak ♦ ask permission to speak ♦ cause to speak ♦ dare to speak ♦ do you speak english? ♦ feel afraid to speak ♦ get to speak to ♦ hard to speak ♦ how dare you speak like this? ♦ i do not speak english ♦ i don't speak english ♦ i don't speak spanish ♦ induce to speak ♦ it is nothing to speak of ♦ it would be below my dignity to speak to him ♦ it's nothing to speak of ♦ may i speak to ..? ♦ may i speak with ..? ♦ not speak well of ♦ nothing to speak of ♦ permission to speak ♦ please do not speak to the driver! ♦ sea speak ♦ so to speak ♦ speak a foreign language ♦ speak a ship ♦ speak against ♦ speak against one's convictions ♦ speak albanian ♦ speak amiss of ♦ speak aside ♦ speak at length ♦ speak away! ♦ speak badly ♦ speak badly of smb. ♦ speak below one's breath ♦ speak bluntly ♦ speak broadly ♦ speak broken language ♦ speak by signs ♦ speak dagger ♦ speak dialect ♦ speak earnestly ♦ speak evil of ♦ speak excellent english ♦ speak fair to ♦ speak figuratively ♦ speak flatteringly ♦ speak fluent english ♦ speak fluently ♦ speak for ♦ speak for itself ♦ speak for oneself ♦ speak for smb. ♦ speak frankly ♦ speak french ♦ speak good english ♦ speak harshly ♦ speak hesitantly ♦ speak highly of smb. ♦ speak ill ♦ speak ill of ♦ speak ill of behind one's back ♦ speak ill of smb. ♦ speak in ♦ speak in a debate ♦ speak in a low key ♦ speak in a low voice ♦ speak in a whisper ♦ speak in anger ♦ speak in debate ♦ speak in dialect ♦ speak in low voice ♦ speak in measured tones ♦ speak in parables ♦ speak in praise of smb. ♦ speak in public ♦ speak in riddles ♦ speak in smb.'s ear ♦ speak in subdued voice ♦ speak in tongues ♦ speak ironically ♦ speak less and do more ♦ speak like by the book ♦ speak louder please! ♦ speak of ♦ speak of dirt ♦ speak of the devil ♦ speak off the cuff ♦ speak on behalf of ♦ speak on behalf of smb. ♦ speak ones mind ♦ speak one's mind ♦ speak one's piece ♦ speak one's thoughts ♦ speak out ♦ speak out of turn ♦ speak out! ♦ speak patois ♦ speak pompously. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "speak": speak-do, speak-easy, speak-now-think-later, speak-up, speak-ups, speak-when, speak-your-weight. | |
Ending with "speak": double-speak. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
speak spanish | 476 | dont speak | 65 |
learn to speak spanish | 426 | god speak word | 65 |
speak | 343 | lyrics no doubt don t speak | 63 |
speak team | 300 | speak english | 58 |
speak italian | 162 | speak chinese | 56 |
speak french | 152 | dragon speak | 52 |
learn to speak french | 151 | don lyrics speak t | 50 |
learn to speak italian | 138 | speak type | 50 |
speak german | 119 | easy mobile speak t | 49 |
speak japanese | 116 | gibberish speak | 46 |
angel guardian guide speak spirit | 115 | speak hawaiian | 40 |
don t speak | 110 | learn to speak chinese | 40 |
speak easy | 99 | elvish speak | 38 |
learn to speak german | 85 | angel guardian speak | 37 |
learn to speak english | 81 | don t speak no doubt | 36 |
hear no evil see no evil speak no evil | 80 | speak korean | 35 |
speak russian | 77 | 2 speak team | 34 |
learning to speak spanish | 74 | speak spell | 33 |
learn to speak japanese | 73 | free learn to speak spanish | 32 |
learn to speak russian | 66 | scan speak | 31 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "speak"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | praat (talk), gesels (talk). (various references) | |
Albanian | flas (discourse, hold forth, palaver, say, talk). (various references) | |
Arabic | همس (breathe, buzz, hiss, murmur, susurration, whisper, whispering), نطق بلسان, ناقش مع, ناقش (agitate, argue, bat, canvass, converse, debate, discuss, dispute, join issue with, moot, oppugn, powwow, question, set about, talk, talk over, ventilate), قال (go, said, say, state, talk, tell, told, utter), تكلم (bleat, mouth, say, spoke, tongue), تحدث (broadcast, converse, discourse, jaw, sing out, talk, tell, yarn), سأل (ask, beg, call, call on, enquire, inquire, question, quiz, request, shout), خطب (affiance, contract, declaim, deliver, harangue, jaw, make a speech, speechify), دل (announce, betoken, bode, denote, designate, indicate, infer, proclaim, promise, read, signify). (various references) | |
Aymara | arsuña (to speak). (various references) | |
Basque | mintzatu (speak to). (various references) | |
Blackfoot | yáápíí'poyi (to speak English), iitsi'poyi (to speak Blackfoot). (various references) | |
Breton | komzit. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | свидетелствувам за (bear witness to, denote, indicate, register), разговарям (have a talk, talk), разменям сигнали, гърмя (bang, bellow, boom, fulminate, peal, pop off, roll, thunder), говоря за (purport, speak of, talk about, talk of), говоря (converse, harangue, parley, reflect, shoot, slur, talk, vocalize), лая по заповед, приказвам (jaw, natter, prattle, shoot, talk), изказвам се (express oneself, have one's say, pronounce, speak up). (various references) | |
Catalan | parlo, parlar (talk, to speak). (various references) | |
Chinese | 讲话 (speaking, speech, spoken). (various references) | |
Croatian | govoriti, govorite, govorim, govori. (various references) | |
Czech | mluvit (talk, to speak). (various references) | |
Danish | tale (speech, talk). (various references) | |
Dutch | spreken (speaking, speech, talk), praten (chat, chatter, talk). (various references) | |
Esperanto | paroli (talk). (various references) | |
Estonian | rääkida, räägite, räägin, räägi. (various references) | |
Faeroese | tosa (chat, chatter, talk), tala (speech, talk). (various references) | |
Farsi | گفتگوکردن (Argue, Communicate, Discuss, Negotiate), حرف زدن (Say, Talk), تکلم کردن , سخنرانی کردن (Discourse, Lecture, Lobby), سخن گفتن (Address, Discourse, Say), صحبت کردن (Cant), دراییدن . (various references) | |
Finnish | puhua (say, talk, to speak). (various references) | |
Flemish | spreken, spreekt, spreek. (various references) | |
French | parler (speaking, to speak). (various references) | |
French Canadian | parler, parle (speaks). (various references) | |
Frisian | sprekke (talk), prate (talk, to talk). (various references) | |
Galician | falo, falar. (various references) | |
German | sprechen (converse, discourse, pronounce, recite, see, speaking, talk, talking, to speak, to speak (spoke, utterance), reden (discourse, monologues, orations, sayings, speaking, speeches, talk, talk about, talking, to discourse, to speak). (various references) | |
Greek | μιλώ (talk). (various references) | |
Guarani | reñe'êkuaápa (do you speak), reñe'ê (you speak), nañe'êkuaái (I don't speak), añe'êkuaa (I speak only a little bit). (various references) | |
Haitian Creole | pale (speaks, to speak). (various references) | |
Hawaiian | flas (talk). (various references) | |
Hebrew | למלל (say, talk, utter), לאמור (namely, say, state, tell, thus, to wit, viz.), להגות (articulate, growl, meditate, murmur, pronounce, utter, vocalize), להביע (cause to flow, express, give voice to, mean, pour, register, utter), לדבר (jaw, say, talk), לבטא (enunciate, express, mouth, pronounce, state, utter), לסיח (say, talk), לנאום (give an address, hold forth, make a speech), דיבר. (various references) | |
Hungarian | beszél (parley, say, spoke, spoken, talk, to bleat, to bluster, to deliver a speech, to flounder, to make a speech, to rabbit, to rant, to snuffle, to speak, to speak broad, to speak idiomatic english, to speak in an exalted strain, to speak out, to talk). (various references) | |
Icelandic | tala (talk). (various references) | |
Indonesian | bicara (matter, meaningful, state opinion), berfirman (decree), bercakap (be able, be capable, talk), berbicara (converse, meaningful). (various references) | |
Irish | labhraíonn, labhair. (various references) | |
Italian | parlare (say, sound, speaking, talk, talking, to talk). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 話す (to speak), 褒める (to admire, to praise, to speak well), 例える (to, to compare, to liken, to speak figuratively). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | けんげん (authority, jurisdiction, manifestation, offering one's opinion to one's superior, origin of rights, power, proposal, right to speak), にげんほうそう (broadcast in which participants speak from different stations), かたこと (a smattering, speak haltingly, talk like a baby), いつわりかたる (to speak falsely), いいなす (to describe, to smooth over, to speak as though something were actually the case), いいだす (to break the ice, to propose, to speak, to start talking, to suggest, to tell), いわば (as it were, rocky area, so to call it, so to speak), いわゆる (so to speak, the so-called), やわらかくはなす (to speak gently), もうごかい (do not speak untruthfully), だいべん (act for another, excrement, feces, pay by proxy, speak for another), けなす (to speak ill of), つかう (to circulate, to consume, to dispatch, to donate, to employ, to handle, to manipulate, to need, to practise, to send, to speak, to spend, to take, to use, to want), みざるきかざるいわざる, みざる (one of the three wise monkeys who see and hear and speak no evil, see-not monkey, three wise monkeys who see and hear and speak no evil), はなす (divide, separate, to part, to separate, to set free, to speak), はなしあいて (advisor, companion, person with whom to speak, someone to talk to), はつげんけん (right to speak), ときいだす (to begin to explain, to begin to speak), とろ (express one's mind, pool, speak out), ちちおやにかわっていう (to speak for one's father), えいごがうまい (speak English well), ものもうす (to object, to speak), ひにくる (to speak cynically or with sarcasm), ずばずばいう (to speak one's mind, to speak very frankly), おっしゃる (to say, to speak, to talk, to tell), がっこうのことをはなす (to speak about the school, to talk about school affairs), なまる (to be corrupted, to become blunt, to become less capable, to grow dull, to speak with an accent, to weaken), くさす (to speak ill of), きりだし (logging, pointed knife, scraps, starting to speak), しんじつをかたる (to speak the truth), くちばしる (to blurt out, to speak, to tell), くちどめ (forbidding to speak, muzzling), ほめる (to admire, to praise, to speak well), くちをわる (to confess, to speak out), ほそぼそはなす (to speak slowly and quietly), べんじたてる (to speak eloquently, to talk volubly), べんじる (to answer the purpose, to argue, to carry through, to discriminate, to dispose of, to distinguish, to make convenient, to manage, to speak, to talk, will do), まきじた (roll one's r's, speak rapidly), まるで (as if, as though, at all, completely, entirely, quite, so to speak), さくひんをくさす (to speak ill of a person's work), さんえん (three wise monkeys who see and hear and speak no evil), うちあける (to be frank, to open one's heart, to speak one's mind), ののしる (to abuse, to speak ill of), のろける (to play up, to praise one's spouse, to speak fondly of), たとえる (to compare, to illustrate, to liken, to speak figuratively, to use a simile), くちにする (to eat, to refer to, to speak of, to taste). (various references) | |
Korean | 말하십시요 (Tell). (various references) | |
Lombard | parlà (talk). (various references) | |
Luganda | yogera, njogeramu. (various references) | |
Luxembourgish | schwätzt (talk), schwätzen. (various references) | |
Manx | loayr (equivocate, extemporise, talk away). (various references) | |
Maori | kii-a (to speak). (various references) | |
Mohawk | -tatis (to speak). (various references) | |
Norwegian | tale (talk), snakke (talk). (various references) | |
Occitan | parlar. (various references) | |
Papiamen | papia (talk). (various references) | |
Pidgin English | speak (to speak). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | eakspay.(various references) | |
Polish | mówić (talk). (various references) | |
Portuguese | falar (address, chorus, converse, drone, parley, prude, rhapsodize, say, singsong, talk, tell, to speak). (various references) | |
Portuguese Brazilian | fale (would speak), falarão (they will speak), falar (to speak). (various references) | |
Quechua | parlay (to speak), parlariy (you speak), parlankichu (do you speak), parlanki (you speak), parlanichu (I speak), parlani (I speak). (various references) | |
Romanian | vorbi (say, talk, utter), discuta (agitate, argue, confabulate, converse, debate upon, deliberate, discuss, dispute, go through, haggle, impugn, moot, negotiate, powwow, question, reason, talk, talk over). (various references) | |
Romany | horatìnav (to speak). (various references) | |
Russian | говорить (mince, saith, say, speak under correction, spoke, talk, talked, tell, they say). (various references) | |
Scottish | labhair (talk), bruidhinn (conversation, conversing, talk, talking). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | zboriti, prozboriti, govoriti (militate, say, talk, tell, tongue). (various references) | |
Shona | -taura (to speak). (various references) | |
Slovene | govorite (you speak), govorim. (various references) | |
Somali | hadlo, hadlaa, hadashaa. (various references) | |
Sotho | bue, bua. (various references) | |
Spanish | hablar (chat, communicate, gab, speaking, talk, tap, to speak, visit). (various references) | |
Sranan | taki (bough, branch, say, talk, tell). (various references) | |
Swahili | sema. (various references) | |
Swazi | kú-khulúma (to speak). (various references) | |
Swedish | tala (chatter, say, talk). (various references) | |
Tagalog | nagsasalita, magsalitâ (talk). (various references) | |
Tahitian | parau (bill, speech, written document). (various references) | |
Thai | สนทนา (dialog, dialogue). (various references) | |
Tswana | bue, bua. (various references) | |
Turkish | ses çıkarmak (clatter, noise, sound, utter, voice), söz söylemek, söylemek (affirm, air, apprise, assert, aver, bade, bid, break, call, confess, couch, deliver, drop, enunciate, give voice to, hazard, impart, name, observe, order, pass, pronounce, remark, report, say, sing, sound, speak of, spill, spit, spit out, state, tell, throw out, utter, voice, word), konuşmak (bespeak, chin, confab, confabulate, discourse, have a talk, have a talk with, have speech with, parley, pipe up, reason, speak to, talk, talk to smb.), konuşma yapmak (address, give a speech, harangue, orate), haberleşmek (communicate, correspond, intercommunicate), göstermek (adduce, betoken, demonstrate, denote, depict, designate, disclose, display, evidence, exercise, exhibit, expose, hold up, indicate, initiate, introduce, look, manifest, point, point out, point to, produce, prove, put forth, register, represent, run, set out, shew, show, show off, show up, signify, stamp, table, teach, trot out, uncork). (various references) | |
Turkmen | sцzlemek, gьrlemek (say), geplemek. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | характеризувати (character, characterize, define, distinguish, phrase), говорити (say, talk, tell, tongue, word), виступати (address, appear, beetle, jut, pierce out, sashay), вимовляти (pronounce, utter, vocalize, voice), поговорити (have a word with). (various references) | |
Welsh | siarad (talk). (various references) | |
Xhosa | uthethe (You speak), uthetha (You speak), ukuthetha (To speak, To speak/talk), andisithethi (I do not speak). (various references) | |
Zulu | -khuluma (talk). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | casfor, conari, conata, conati, conatum, conatur, conatus, coneris, dico, dissero, effabuntur, fado, fari, femur, fer, fere, feris, ferque, for, for, fari, fatus, locuta, locutaque, locuti, locutique, locutum, locutura, locutus, locutusque, loquamini, loquamur, loquantur, loquar, loquaris, loquatur, loquebamur, loquebantur, loquebar, loquebaris, loquebatur, loquebaturque, loquemur, loquendi, loquendo, loquendum, loquens, loquente, loquentem, loquentes, loquentibus, loquentis, loquentium, loquentur, loquere, loqueremur, loquerentur, loquerer, loquereris, loqueretur, loqueris, loquerisque, loquetur, loqueturque, loqui, loquimini, loquimur, loquitur, loquiturque, loquor, loquor, locutus, loquuntur, minabamur, minabatur, minantes, minatur, minor, narro. (various references) |
| Avestan | 200-600 | aoj-. (various references) |
| Middle Low German | 1100-1500 | utern. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | John Chapter 4, Verse 26 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Legei auth o ihsouV egw eimi o lalwn soi |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Dicit ei Iesus ego sum qui loquor tecum |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | Se hælend cwæð to hyre. Ic hyt em.þe wið þe sprece. |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | Jhesus seith to hir, Y am he, that spekith with thee. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | Iesus sayde vnto hir: I that speake vnto the am he. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | Jesus saith to her, I that speak to thee am he. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | Jesus said to her, I, who am talking to you, am he. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | John Chapter 4, Verse 26 |
| Cebuano | Si Jesus miingon kaniya, "Ako nga nakigsulti kanimo mao siya." |
| Chinese | 耶 穌 說 、 這 和 你 說 話 的 就 是 他 。 |
| Croatian | Kaže joj Isus: "Ja sam, ja koji s tobom govorim!" |
| Danish | Jesus siger til hende: "Det er mig, jeg, som taler med dig." |
| Dutch | Jezus zeide tot haar: Ik ben het, Die met u spreek. |
| Finnish | Jeesus sanoi hänelle: "Minä olen se, minä, joka puhun sinun kanssasi". |
| French | Jésus lui dit: Je le suis, moi qui te parle. |
| German | Jesus spricht zu ihr: Ich bin's, der mit dir redet. |
| Haitian Creole | Jezi reponn li: Mwen menm k'ap pale avè ou la a, mwen se Kris la. |
| Hungarian | Monda néki Jézus: Én vagyok az, a ki veled beszélek. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | "Akulah Dia," kata Yesus, "Aku yang sekarang sedang berbicara dengan engkau." |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Maka kata Yesus kepadanya, "Akulah Dia yang bertutur dengan engkau." |
| Maori | Ka mea a Ihu ki a ia, Ko ahau ano ia e korero nei ki a koe. |
| Norwegian | Jesus sier til henne: Det er mig, jeg som taler med dig! |
| Portuguese | Disse-lhe Jesus: Eu o sou, eu que falo contigo. |
| Rumanian | Isus i -a zis: ,,Eu, cel care vorbesc cu tine, sknt Acela.`` |
| Shuar | Jesus Tímiayi "Wiitjai. Amin chichaajmena Nú Kristuitjai." |
| Spanish | Jesús le dijo: --Yo soy, el que habla contigo. |
| Swahili | Yesu akamwambia, "Mimi ninayesema nawe, ndiye." |
| Swedish | Jesus svarade henne: "Jag, som talar med dig, är den du nu nämnde." |
| Uma | Na'uli' Yesus: "Aku' -mile toi-e, to mpololitai-ko wae-e lau." |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "speak": speakable, speakeasies, speakeasy, speaker, speakerphone, speakerphones, speakers, speakership, speakerships, speaking, speakings, speaks. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "speak": bespeak, doublespeak, forespeak, misspeak, newspeak, outspeak, respeak, unspeak. (additional references) | |
Words containing "speak": bespeaking, bespeaks, doublespeaker, doublespeakers, doublespeaks, forespeaking, forespeaks, loudspeaker, loudspeakers, misspeaking, misspeaks, newspeaks, nonspeaker, nonspeakers, nonspeaking, outspeaking, outspeaks, respeaking, respeaks, unspeakable, unspeakably, unspeaking, unspeaks. (additional references) | |
| |
"Speak" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: fpeak, sbea, sbek, seka, sepac, sepak, Sepik, Seppak, Sevak, sheak, sleak, spanak, spea, spead, speake, speal, speam, spean, Specac, speeb, speek, spek, speo, speok, speu, speum, spia, spoak, sqeak, supea. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "speak" (pronounced spē"k) |
| 4 | s p ē" k | bespeak, misspeak, respeak. |
| 3 | -p ē" k | peak, peek, pique. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: peaks, spake. | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-k-p-s" | |
-1 letter: apes, apse, kaes, keas, keps, pase, peak, peas, sake, skep, spae. | |
-2 letters: ape, ask, asp, kae, kas, kea, kep, pas, pea, pes, sae, sap, sea, ska, spa. | |
-3 letters: ae, as, es, ka, pa, pe. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-k-p-s" | |
+1 letter: pekans, speaks, splake. | |
+2 letters: bespake, bespeak, keypads, makeups, packers, packets, pakehas, parkers, passkey, peakish, pikakes, presoak, repacks, reparks, respeak, shakeup, spackle, spanked, spanker, sparked, sparker, sparkle, speaker, splakes, takeups, unspeak, uptakes. | |
+3 letters: asparkle, bakeshop, barkeeps, bespeaks, breakups, capeskin, cupcakes, garpikes, kajeputs, keepsake, knappers, kneecaps, kneepads, kneepans, misspeak, newspeak, outspeak, packages, packness, pancakes, partakes, passkeys, pawkiest, peacocks, peakiest, peakless, pickaxes, plackets, prebakes, prepacks, presoaks, rampikes, ranpikes, respeaks, shakeups, shoepack, skiplane, soaplike, spackled, spackles, spankers, sparkers, sparkier, sparkled, sparkler, sparkles, sparlike, speakers, speaking, unspeaks, wasplike, wickapes. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Familiar 11. Quotations: Historic 12. Quotations: Fiction | 13. Quotations: Non-fiction 14. Quotations: Spoken 15. Quotations: Speeches 16. Usage Frequency | 17. Names: Frequency 18. Expressions 19. Expressions: Internet 20. Translations: Modern | 21. Translations: Ancient 22. Bible Trace 23. Abbreviations 24. Acronyms | 25. Derivations 26. Rhymes 27. Anagrams 28. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.