Pronunciation of 宝宝

[Apollys]

My dictionary gives 33, but then again it also gives 33 for 好好 and I know people pronounce that 35 (or 31), so does 宝宝 also follow this pattern?

[xiaokaka]

Based on my experience it's usually pronounced bǎobao (or 35 in your notation) rather than the usual double third tone pattern 33 → 23 báobǎo. Compare with 姐姐 jiějie which also keeps its first third tone, 33 → 35. 

[Apollys]

Thanks, that was my guess too, I just find it weird that my dictionaries are showing 33 for words like 好好 and 宝宝, while other words like 姐姐 and 奶奶 are labeled 35.

[Lu]

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).

[Yadang]

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.

[Yadang]

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...

[imron]

+1 for Guifan. It's the little notes like that which make it such a useful dictionary. 

[Apollys]

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?

[Lu]

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.

[Apollys]

Ahh I see.  And in Standard Mandarin 妹妹 would still be 45 when directly addressing someone?

[歐博思]

On 1/20/2017 at 3:47 PM, Lu said:

I don't know the linguistic reasons behind it...

可愛化！

[Publius]

7 hours ago, 歐博思 said:

可愛化！

How to say 可愛化 in English, cutesification?

[Apollys]

Just "making it sound cuter" would be best (as Lu already said, roughly).