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英语语法:231“Talk With” versus “Talk To”

时间:2010-11-19 03:03:47

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(单词翻译)

In today's show, we cover whether you should say you talked to someone or talked with someone.
The podcast edition of this article was sponsored by Smarties: the gluten-free, dairy-free, tamper-evident, low-calorie candies for Halloween. Buy Smarties this year. They're the smart choice for Halloween.
In an e-mail message, Kevin B. wrote, “I always hear talk show hosts say ‘It was nice talking to you....’ This (to me) sounds wrong, as if the person the host was speaking with was sitting there.... Shouldn’t it be ‘It was nice talking with you...’?. The use of the word ‘to’ instead of ‘with’ sounds directional, but the conversation was bi-directional.”
It’s true that the phrase “talk with someone” clearly refers to a two-way (or many-way) conversation. Still, “talk to someone” doesn’t rule out a two-way conversation. Any number of things could be happening while you’re “talking to” someone that you don’t mention, including that the person might be talking back to you. A Google search turns up many hits for strings1 like “I talked with them and they said”, but it also does for strings like “I talked to them and they said”, which indicates that many writers don’t interpret “talk to” to exclude a two-way conversation.
The Maxim2 of Quantity
But are all those writers and talk show hosts simply wrong? Let’s consider the position. Why might “talk to” be a mistake when it refers to an interactive3 conversation? One could argue that since there is an equally simple expression that is more specific than “talk to,” you should use it if it’s truthful4. Linguists6 call this principle the Maxim of Quantity. A speaker who respects this principle will give as much information as possible. For example, if you had a son and two daughters, and someone asked you if you had children, and you answered, “I have a son,” you would be violating Quantity because you left out something important. You would risk being labeled as sneaky and uncooperative.
The Maxim of Relevance7
In response to the Quantity-based argument that you should use “talk with” for two-sided conversations because it gives more information, one could argue in defense8 of “talk to” based on another principle, called the Maxim of Relevance, which states that a cooperative speaker will not mention irrelevant9 facts. To illustrate10 with the son-and-two-daughters example, you could satisfy Quantity and Relevance by saying, “A son and two daughters.” If you went on to give a five-minute biography for each child, you’d still be respecting Quantity, but you might be violating Relevance. In other words, you droned on and on about things that aren't relevant.
Returning to the issue of “talk with” versus11 “talk to,” you could argue that most people understand that if you’re talking to someone, he or she will also be talking to you, barring unusual circumstances. Therefore, there’s no reason to avoid “talk to” as a general rule. If the conversation is one-sided, you can say you “lectured” someone instead, or even “talked at” people if the audience wasn't paying attention. If the conversation is two-sided, but you have some reason to highlight that fact, then you can use “talked with,” or to really drive it home, “had a conversation with.”
Other Preposition Problems
So our advice on “talk with” versus “talk to” is to use whichever one you want. Even if there is a possible meaning difference between the two, it’s a weak one, and not one that you can count on your readers sharing. With that specific question out of the way, however, I want to talk about preposition choice in general. In episode 63, I wrote:
Some of the most difficult questions I get are from non-native English speakers who want to know why we use a particular preposition in a specific phrase. Why do we say I’m in bed instead of I’m on bed? Do people suffer from a disease or suffer with a disease? Are we in a restaurant or at a restaurant?
In cases like these, there isn’t even a weak meaning difference between the alternatives. What’s the difference between being “crazy about you” (as I might say); “crazy for you” (as Madonna once sang); and “crazy over you” (from a song written by Sean Combs)? Or between “by accident” and “on accident” (the subject of episode 63)?
Language is invented on the fly, by people trying to put into words meanings that they might not have heard expressed before, and with thousands of speakers doing this, sometimes you end up with more than one expression referring to the same kind of situation.
Regionalisms
Often, these expressions take hold in different regions. For example, in episode 65 on regionalisms, I wrote about how speakers in an area including New York City and parts of nearby states will talk about “standing on line,” whereas most other American English speakers say “standing in line.”
International Differences
Of course, these differences aren’t limited just to prepositions. Instead of “standing in line,” British speakers will say “standing in queue.” Lynne Murphy, an American linguist5 living in England, writes about differences like these in her blog “Separated by a Common Language.” Several of her posts deal with preposition choice, such as British English “in protest at” versus American English “in protest of”; “cater for” versus “cater to”; and “take-out” food versus “take-away” food.
Even Linguists Can't Agree
When these variations are used in the same population, people ask questions. There’s a tendency to want a given meaning to be expressed by only one word or expression. In its strongest form, it’s a rule that linguist Arnold Zwicky has given the name One Right Way. Under this rule, if a distinction can’t be found or created, then one of the expressions must be incorrect.
It doesn’t have to be that way! When you encounter different expressions with the same meaning, and neither one is obviously ungrammatical, you don’t have to ask “Which is correct?” It could well be that they both are.
Literal Minded and Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
This article was written by Neal Whitman, who blogs at Literal Minded. The article was edited and read in the podcast by Mignon Fogarty, author of the New York Times bestseller Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.
 


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 strings nh0zBe     
n.弦
参考例句:
  • He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上,随意地拨着吉他的弦。
  • She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
2 maxim G2KyJ     
n.格言,箴言
参考例句:
  • Please lay the maxim to your heart.请把此格言记在心里。
  • "Waste not,want not" is her favourite maxim.“不浪费则不匮乏”是她喜爱的格言。
3 interactive KqZzFY     
adj.相互作用的,互相影响的,(电脑)交互的
参考例句:
  • The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
  • This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。
4 truthful OmpwN     
adj.真实的,说实话的,诚实的
参考例句:
  • You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心,他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
  • I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。
5 linguist K02xo     
n.语言学家;精通数种外国语言者
参考例句:
  • I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家,后来成了作家。
  • Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。
6 linguists fe6c8058ec322688d888d3401770a03c     
n.通晓数国语言的人( linguist的名词复数 );语言学家
参考例句:
  • The linguists went to study tribal languages in the field. 语言学家们去实地研究部落语言了。 来自辞典例句
  • The linguists' main interest has been to analyze and describe languages. 语言学家的主要兴趣一直在于分析并描述语言。 来自辞典例句
7 relevance gVAxg     
n.中肯,适当,关联,相关性
参考例句:
  • Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
  • Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。
8 defense AxbxB     
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
参考例句:
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
9 irrelevant ZkGy6     
adj.不恰当的,无关系的,不相干的
参考例句:
  • That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
  • A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上,一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。
10 illustrate IaRxw     
v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图
参考例句:
  • The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
  • This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。
11 versus wi7wU     
prep.以…为对手,对;与…相比之下
参考例句:
  • The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
  • The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

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