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I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I can't seem to be able to search for it due to its common words.

I'm having problems coming up with a word for "someone who says or tells something to someone else". A word for the person being talked to would be adequate too.

I'm even having trouble wording the question due to its vagueness. Sorry, I'm stupid, but I do appreciate any help on this matter.

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    The speaker and the listener?
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Jul 27, 2015 at 22:33
  • I agree with Dan Bron. Also, both parties are interlocutors although that is a very formal word. Maybe you could give us a sample sentence with a blank where the word(s) should go.
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Commented Jul 27, 2015 at 22:38
  • Don't apologize. Sutpid is as sutpid does, and asking questions is neither. As DB notes, in general, the person talking is the speaker and the person pretending to pay attention is the listener. In specific instances, there are more specific terms. If you're in a debate, the person talking to you is your opponent. If you're in a college auditorium, the person speaking is a lecturer. Give us some more context, where and how you want to use the word.
    – deadrat
    Commented Jul 27, 2015 at 22:47

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I can imagine: someone who tells you a story is the narrator ; someone who tells you information is an informant; someone who says things to a group may be the speaker; someone who tells you the development of a play or opera may be the moritatensinger; but I cannot find a unique word that includes all these. The person being talked at is the listener, the audience, the hearer.

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  • moritatensinger (!?). Is that English - I thought it was German.
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Commented Jul 27, 2015 at 22:57
  • @chaslyfromUK It wasn't all that long ago that English was German. Only a thousand years or so.
    – deadrat
    Commented Jul 27, 2015 at 23:45
  • @deadrat - Okay, I'm prepared to wait!
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 10:24

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