「萬事起頭難」，會話開端作為人際溝通的重要一環，正是華語學習者需要培養的能力。多數學習者不擅與母語者交談，成為他們融入華人社會的一大困難（Light, 1987），同時會話的語言形式又受到溝通雙方的性別影響（Coates, 1993），某種程度就像是跨文化交流，因而增加溝通時的難度。本研究遂透過問卷先調查學習者的會話學習需求，另以角色扮演法蒐集華語母語者的口語語料，從會話開端的三個面向對比男女日常會話的異同之處，包含如何開啟會話、選用的話題類型以及為了延續會話採取的語用策略，並輔以訪談探究兩性策略選擇的背後動機。
研究結果顯示，面向陌生異性時，男性傾向使用積極禮貌策略來開啟會話，如表示敬意或是連結關係來建立正面的公共形象，在話題選擇上，男性多使用與聽話者有關的聽者類來探查對方的需要，以期有效找到共同主題，達到傳遞資訊之目的。於延續話題面，多數男性傾向採取探討事實的提問方式。女性開啟會話的方式較不固定，她們會視不同的溝通對象對於面子的需求來選擇採用積極禮貌策略或是消極禮貌策略。雖然女性同樣傾向選用聽者類話題，與男性不同的是，她們的動機在於促進情感交流，因此會鼓勵對方多分享且揭露自我的意願也較高。為將話題持續發展下去，多數女性傾向使用延續故事邀請對方多補充細節。
本文綜合上述研究發現和學習者需求調查結果後提出教學建議，於華語教案之中加入語用學的概念應用，希冀培養學習者於真實情境下的會話能力，協助他們面對不同性別的華語母語者時，都能夠表現有禮、提問順暢及回應適當，順利與對方開展一段自在的談話。

“The beginning is always the hardest.” Opening a conversation is an essential part of interpersonal communication, and a skill that Chinese language learners need to develop. Most language learners struggle with engaging in conversations with native speakers; in fact, it becomes a significant challenge for them to integrate into the Chinese community (Light, 1987). Additionally, the language form in conversations is influenced by the gender of the interlocutors (Coates, 1993), making dialogue akin to intercultural communication and adding to the overall complexity of interacting. This study aims to investigate the conversation learning needs of Chinese language learners through administering a questionnaire and collecting oral language data from Chinese native speakers using role-playing. By comparing the similarities and differences between daily conversations of men and women in three aspects of conversation initiation, topic selection, and pragmatic strategies for sustaining conversations, as well as using interviews, this paper will explore the underlying motivations for gender-specific strategy choices.
The research findings indicate that, when interacting with unfamiliar individuals of the opposite sex, males tend to use assertive politeness strategies to initiate conversations, such as showing respect or establishing a positive public image through relationship-building. In terms of topic selection, males often choose listener-related subjects to explore the other person's needs, with the aim of effectively finding common themes to achieve information transmission. Regarding sustaining the conversation, most males prefer using questioning techniques that focus on discussing facts. However, females exhibit more varied approaches for initiating conversations. They adjust their choices between using either assertive or passive politeness strategies based on the face-saving needs of their different interlocutors. Although females also tend to select listener-related topics, their motivation lies in facilitating emotional exchange, thereby encouraging the other person to share more and express a higher willingness to disclose personal information. To keep the conversation going, most females prefer using narrative invitations to invite the other person to provide more details.
Based on the research findings and the assessment of learners' needs, this paper proposes teaching suggestions by incorporating pragmatics concepts into Chinese language instructional materials. The aim is to cultivate learners' conversational skills in authentic contexts, helping them exhibit politeness, ask questions fluently, and respond appropriately when dialoguing with Chinese native speakers of different genders, thus facilitating comfortable and seamless communication.

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