The word 讲话 is formed by combining two independent characters, each with its own meaning, to create a new, composite concept. The first character, 讲 (jiǎng), carries the core meaning of "to speak" or "to explain". It is joined with the second character, 话 (huà), which means "speech", "words", or "language". Their combination is not merely additive but synthetic, fusing the action of speaking with the substance of what is spoken. This results in a term that conceptually encompasses the entire act of delivering spoken words, effectively meaning "to give a speech" or "to talk".