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Pronunciation of 宝宝


Apollys

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好好 is usually hǎohǎo, but in 好好地 it's hǎohāo.

宝宝 in Taiwan is bǎobāo I think, if you're talking about a baby or something in that category. Same as 妹妹 -> méimēi (or is it měiméi, either way not mèimei if you're using it to address a little girl or your younger sister).

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The pinyin below the headword in pleco is bao3 bao3, but in my Cross-Straits dictionary it's bao3 bao5. Guifan has this to say:

 

Quote

注意 口语中第二个“宝”多读轻声。

 

Perhaps pleco gives original pronunciation before tone sandhi while other dictionaries give it after employing tone sandhi? @mikelove?

 

Anyways, regardless of what the dictionary says, I agree with xiaokaka.

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3 minutes ago, Lu said:

宝宝 in Taiwan is bǎobāo I think, if you're talking about a baby or something in that category. Same as 妹妹 -> méimēi (or is it měiméi, either way not mèimei if you're using it to address a little girl or your younger sister).

 

I've noticed they do that with 妈妈,爸爸,哥哥,弟弟 also. Once a teacher mentioned to me how she thought my host father found it amusing that I would always call him ba4ba4. She said it was so "formal", and that no Taiwanese call their father ba4ba4 with two fourth tones...

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On 1/19/2017 at 0:28 AM, Lu said:

Same as 妹妹 -> méimēi (or is it měiméi, either way not mèimei if you're using it to address a little girl or your younger sister).

 

What?? 妹妹 isn't 4-5?  Now you've genuinely confused the hell out of me, how does that make sense?

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It's Taiwanese Mandarin forms of address. Note that if you say something like 这是我妹妹的狗 or 我妹妹比我大两岁 it's still mèimei. I don't know the linguistic reasons behind it, I suspect it has something to do with making it sound sweeter/more cute.

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