(speak / talk) more quickly

[hirashin]

Dear native English speakers,
I think (a) would be used. How about (b)?
(a) He spoke more and more quickly.
(b) He talked more and more quickly.
Thanks in advance.
Hirashin

 

[OoTmaster]

I think they could both be used in context. Outside of context though they sound extremely odd. Something more natural would be "He kept increasing how quickly he spoke."

 

[hirashin]

Oh, really? Thanks for the help, OoTmaster. I'd be glad if other native speakers would comment on this, too.

 

[diligentcircle]

I would only use the first myself, but that has nothing to do with grammar, just the fact that "spoke" is easier to say than "talked". Actually, come to think of it, "talked" isn't used all that much, probably also for this reason. You usually hear it before words that begin with a vowel (like "about" or "as"), which really helps make it easier to say because you can basically transfer the T-sound from "ed" over to the next word (e.g. talked about -> talk tabout, talked as -> talk taz) and it both sounds very natural and flows nicely. At least, that's what I find I do. Otherwise, it's quite common to just substitute the easier-to-say "spoke".