中古英语 speken，源自古英语 specan，变体 sprecan “清晰地表达词语而不唱歌，拥有或使用语言能力；发表演讲；与他人进行交谈”（V类强动词；过去式 spræc，过去分词 sprecen），来自原始日耳曼语 *sprekanan（也是古撒克逊语 sprecan，古弗里西语 spreka，中古荷兰语 spreken，古高地德语 sprehhan，德语 sprechen “说话”，古北欧语 spraki “谣言，报告”的来源）。这有时被认为代表一个原始印欧词根，意为“撒播”，基于将语言视为“散播”词语的概念，但Boutkan发现该日耳曼词没有印欧词源。
在英语中，-r-在晚期西撒克逊语中开始消失，至12世纪中期消失，可能受到丹麦语 spage “噼啪声”的影响，也用于俚语意义上的“说话”（比较 crack (v.) 在与言语相关的俚语意义，如 wisecrack, cracker, all it's cracked up to be）。在其他地方，中古荷兰语（speken），古高地德语（spehhan），方言德语（spächten “说话”）中发现稀有的无 -r- 变体形式。
显然在古英语中不是“说话”的主要词（《贝奥武夫》的作者更喜欢 maþelian，来自 mæþel “集会，理事会”，源自 metan “相遇”；比较希腊语 agoreuo “说话，解释”，最初意为“在集会上发言”，来自 agora “集会”）。
在古英语和中古英语中也用于“写作，书面表述或声明”。对于事物，“富有表现力或意义”，在1530年代。
Speak is more general in meaning than talk. Thus, a man may speak by uttering a single word, whereas to talk is to utter words consecutively ; so a man may be able to speak without being able to talk. Speak is also more formal in meaning : as, to speak before an audience ; while talk implies a conversational manner of speaking. [Century Diuctionary]
To speak out is from late 14c. as "speak loudly;" by 1690s as "speak freely and boldly." To speak up "speak on behalf" (of another, etc.) is by 1705; as "speak loudly" by 1723. To speak for "make a speech on behalf of" is by c. 1300; to speak for itself "be self-evident" is by 1779.
Speaking terms "relationship between two in which they converse with one another" is from 1786, often in the negative. As a type of megaphone, speaking-tube is by 1825; speaking-trumpet by 1670s.
