How is 即 pronounced?

[anonymoose]

I always thought 即 should be pronounced jí (2nd tone), and indeed this is the only pronunciation shown in my dictionary. However, I noticed one of my chinese teachers recently pronouncing it in the 4th tone. At the time, I assumed I must have misheard, but I just came across this webpage with audio, and here 即 is also clearly read in the 4th tone.

Am I making a stupid blunder, or what's going on here?

Script: 在现实生活中，有很多结构所受的荷载是移动荷载或者是可动荷载。比如说工业厂房中在吊车梁上行驶的吊车轮压,在移动荷载的作用下，结构的支座反力和内力都随着荷载作用点的移动或荷载分布的变化而发生变化。为此，需要确定移动荷载和可动荷载的最不利位置，即使结构的某一支座反力或某截面的某个内力达到最大值的荷载位置。利用内力影响线，就可以计算影响量值和确定移动荷载的最不利位置，以保证结构的安全和正常使用。

[pinnacle]

Hi, this is an interesting question. Although 即 should be pronounced in the 2rd tone according to the dictionary, in real life (at least in southern area as I know), except that 立即 which should always be pronounced in the 2rd tone, both pronunciation is OK (and probably the 4th tone is more widely heard).

[Hofmann]

It should be ji2. The guy talking on that webpage has an accent.

[my name is 方一平]

hi ~~it's correct pronunce is the 2nd tone, many people confuse it with "既"

[Don_Horhe]

It really could be a southern thing, because I came across the exact same thing a few weeks back (I'm in Wuhan). One of our teachers, who is a local, pronounced it in a clear and distinct 4th tone, which got me thinking whether it was me who learned it wrong, or it's him who got things mixed up.