tone sandhi for 3rd tone words before 什麼?

[MXQBLGH]

I know 什麼 is pronounced shen2 me according to the dictionary with 什 being a 2nd tone.

Just wondering though, is it my ears or does nobody pronounce the 什 like a 2nd tone?

I guess my questions are:

1. I hear people say 什麼 like shen3 me or perhaps shen me (no tones) instead of shen2 me. Is there a reason for this?

2. Because of the above, what happens when you have a 3rd tone word that comes before 什麼? I honestly have heard people say 有什麼 as you2 shen3/shen me and 懂什麼 as dong2 shen3/shen me. Should the tone 3 be changed prior to 什麼 or should it be left as tone3?

thanks

[jessiejin]

this is my opinion.

i discussed this with my friends.we all agree that it is shen2 me.

有什么you3 shen2 me 懂什么dong3 shen2 me

actually,you r right.sometimes,it sounds like 3rd tone.we agree with you.but if you say it slower and slow,it would be the right tone.we just dont read it too clearly,or it will be a little bit strange.so we weaken the pronouncation.

however,there are still some people used reading it the 3rd tone.it is wrong.

[Brian US]

I think words that are used more frequently tend to get mumbled, so it isn't too clear. I could swear my Taiwanese friend says 多阿钱 instead of 多少钱.

[creamyhorror]

有什麼 as you2 shen3/shen me

That's how many people often say it, yes. It doesn't really matter if it's technically incorrect, since it's probably something of a natural phenomenon. I don't pronounce the 'n' either; it's just she3me or sheme (toneless). I'm not a native speaker, but I've been exposed to various varieties of Chinese all my life.

[猫眼看人]

Formally, 什么 is pronounced shen2 me.

In 《现代汉语词典》(商务印书馆), “什么” has only one pronunciation "shen2 me"

In some areas of China, especially in Southern China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, some of people used to read as "shen3 me"