what's the difference between 話をする and 話す?


I'm trying to understand the nuances between 話をする and 話す. When is one used
over the other?

I'm reviewing A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, and it has the following
example sentence:

> 私は山田さんとしか話をしない。

Would it mean the same thing if the example sentence were:

> 私は山田さんとしか話さない。

Thanks for your help!




While 話す literally means 'to speak', 話をする has the nuance of having a
conversation, chatting, discussing, etc, thus implying a somewhat more
friendly relationship. So the meaning of the sentences is slightly different.
I have invented an imaginary pair of scenarios below to help show the
difference.

**Scenario A:**

> 私は山田さんとしか話をしない。 I don't chat with anyone except Yamada.

Imagine you are working somewhere and although you are acquainted with
everyone, let's say that Yamada is the only person you feel comfortable
chatting with. You greet everyone else and exchange pleasantries, but that's
it. But with Yamada, you might sit together at lunch and have a conversation.

**Scenario B:**

> 私は山田さんとしか話さない。I don't speak to anyone except Yamada.

Imagine you are working somewhere and the relationships among the workers are
extremely bad. Nobody likes each other and you don't even speak to anyone,
with the exception of Yamada with whom you do speak sometimes. But you might
not be friendly enough to open up and have a chat.

Obviously it's an artificial and exaggerated scene and to some extent context
will also matter, but hopefully it illustrates the point that with 話をする, you
might infer that the exchange has a little more depth and content than the
bare literal meaning of just speaking.




While 話す literally means 'to speak', 話をする has the nuance of having a
conversation, chatting, discussing, etc, thus implying a somewhat more
friendly relationship. So the meaning of the sentences is slightly different.
I have invented an imaginary pair of scenarios below to help show the
difference.

**Scenario A:**

> 私は山田さんとしか話をしない。 I don't chat with anyone except Yamada.

Imagine you are working somewhere and although you are acquainted with
everyone, let's say that Yamada is the only person you feel comfortable
chatting with. You greet everyone else and exchange pleasantries, but that's
it. But with Yamada, you might sit together at lunch and have a conversation.

**Scenario B:**

> 私は山田さんとしか話さない。I don't speak to anyone except Yamada.

Imagine you are working somewhere and the relationships among the workers are
extremely bad. Nobody likes each other and you don't even speak to anyone,
with the exception of Yamada with whom you do speak sometimes. But you might
not be friendly enough to open up and have a chat.

Obviously it's an artificial and exaggerated scene and to some extent context
will also matter, but hopefully it illustrates the point that with 話をする, you
might infer that the exchange has a little more depth and content than the
bare literal meaning of just speaking.

