Topic Initiation by Korean and Chinese Speakers on Reality Dating Shows

Abstract

This study examined topic initiation in first encounters in an underexplored language pair – Korean and Chinese. It focused on the beginning stage of intimate relationships documented on two reality dating shows, Sun Da Bang in South Korea and Find Me The One in mainland China. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to compare the focus of topics, the shift between them, and the influence of gender. Significant differences were found in topic orientation across the groups and in the effect of gender on topic initiation in Korean.