speak up, speak out...

hi,
When it comes to phrasal verbs, English language ,in my opinion, is hard to learn. For example speak up and speak out both mean the same thing, don't they? What else can you add to the word speak? Can I say speak in, speak forward, speak down, speak into...? All will be phrasal verbs, won't they?
Thank you.

"speak up" means "talk louder", and "speak out" means the same thing, but with an emphasis on making your voice carry further.

"speak down to" is possible. It means to talk to someone like they're inferior to you.

"speak into" is also possible. For example, "He spoke into the microphone."

> "speak down to" is possible. It means to talk to someone like they're inferior to you.

I usually hear this as "talk down to". I have no idea why "talk" is preferred to "speak" in that construction... the difference between "talk" and "speak" is often arbitrary and sometimes ill-defined anyway...

- Kef

That's true, but you can say "speak" too.

By the way, there's also the construction "to speak out against"... for example, "Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against racism." It means "to denounce", but it usually implies a full, public speech of some kind.

- Kef

Why don't White people like Black people, Kef? Is it in the blood or a product of superiority complex?

"Speak out" usually means to reveal some information that may well be of great interest to the issue at hand, and which may be controversial.

"Speak up" is usually a request issued by people at the back of the hall who can't clearly hear what a speaker on the stage/at the podium is saying if s/he is quietly spoken.