'talk with' vs 'talk to'

@tanguatlay,

You must look at the societies. I am just a stab at explaining which may not be accurate. The UK is still class oriented and most of the writing were done by upper class people. The working stiffs were too busy making ends meet. Now the US is a different animal. It is a classless society so there is a buddy buddy system and has taken to psychology like it was manna from heaven. So "talk with" is quite common while in Britain the upper class usually don't "talk with" no one but "talk to" someone i.e. give instructions. "Talk with" is therefore rarely used.

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@talk72000,

I grew up in libraries... I just can't borrow a book and can hardly loan one... I love documentaries as well, but what I really appreciate is books I can reference... I just got four really cheap at the MSU Surplus store... Structure of Language by Fodor, Principals or Reasoning by Leonard, Symbolism and Truth by Eaton... And another, out of sight at the moment Called the Nuremberg Mind, which is a study of the Rorschach Test applied to the defendents of the International War Crimes Tribunal, By Miale and Selzer... Very interesting... That is like four bucks and a lot of reading on subjects I want to learn more about... I do appreciate people putting it into words, and statistics... I generalize way too much knowing I can usually find the exact facts on my wall some place; but every generalization is a lie... Knowledge is general, and facts are specific and it is nice to have both... Thanks again...

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@Fido,

Books take too long unless you want to get in depth knowledge.

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@talk72000,

talk72000 wrote:

You must look at the societies. I am just a stab at explaining which may not be accurate. The UK is still class oriented and most of the writing were done by upper class people. The working stiffs were too busy making ends meet. Now the US is a different animal. It is a classless society so there is a buddy buddy system and has taken to psychology like it was manna from heaven. So "talk with" is quite common while in Britain the upper class usually don't "talk with" no one but "talk to" someone i.e. give instructions. "Talk with" is therefore rarely used.

I would never call this place classless... The truly rich are unapproachable, and just as in any place else, the rich relive the past and dream of being lords, and the middle classes think of the future, and the poor live in the present... Our problem is that more and more people are living in the present, hand to mouth, and not enough have any hope for the future... Only the dead live in the past, and our rich are taking us there...

1 Reply

@talk72000,

talk72000 wrote:

Books take too long unless you want to get in depth knowledge.

Is there any other kind of knowledge; because I too soon forget what I hear and see; but seldom forget what I read, with the advantage that I can refresh my memory so long as I still own the book...

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@Fido,

Well, at least in public. The rich don't have titles and hereditary honors or formal class like the Lords in England with Dukes, Duchess, His Highness, Her Highness, etc.

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@talk72000,

talk72000 wrote:

Well, at least in public. The rich don't have titles and hereditary honors or formal class like the Lords in England with Dukes, Duchess, His Highness, Her Highness, etc.

This is a place with more private police than public police, even while the rich demand a higher level of public police protection... Every community has its own insular gated communites to keep the commoners apart from the hoi paloi... What Marx repeated of England is equally true here: That all things of a public nature are styled as the Queen's... And then there is the public debt... The public debt helps to keep the rich in riches here as there... We still go ga ga for royalty... We have not lost it... We are still servile just looking for a fair master...

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@Fido,

Merry Christmas.

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@talk72000,

talk72000 wrote:

Merry Christmas.

Back atcha, and many happy returns...

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@Fido,

Same to you.

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@tanguatlay,

tanguatlay wrote:

What is the difference between 'talk with' vs 'talk to'?

Thanks in advance.

I think some members have deviated from my post.

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@tanguatlay,

Could somebody please enlighten me? Thanks in advance.

tanguatlay wrote:

contrex wrote:

tanguatlay wrote:

Can I conclude that my friend is correct in asserting that 'talk with' is AmE?

Yes.

Thanks, Contrex. However, why is 'talk with' found in BrE dictionaries without their stating that it is AmE?

The following extracts from the following two dictionaries confuse me:

1. talk with: Everyone was busily talking with their friends.
(Macmillan Dictionary)

2. Parents should talk with their children about drug abuse.
(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

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'talk with' vs 'talk to'

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