The tone of 买 in 买什么好？

[HashiriKata]

买什么好？

This is how I think the above should be pronounced: Mai3 shen2me hao3?

This is what I actually heard (note the change of tone) : Mai2 shen2me hao3 ?

So, can anyone tell me why mai3 changes into mai2 in this sentence (spoken by a Chinese native speaker). Is it a regional variation? Can 什么 ever be pronounced as shen3me (in stead of shen2me), which may have affected the preceding 3rd tone of 买 ?

Cheers,

[mr. fanglang]

you are right, it is often pronounced as Mai2Shen3me which affects the mai pronunciation.

[HashiriKata]

Thank you mr. fanglang, for clearing my doubt!

[nipponman]

The question is then, why?

[xiaocai]

I cannot tell the reason, just because it sounds more natural to me.

It also seems that sometimes it depends on how you pronounce 什么.

[HashiriKata]

There are a few things in Chinese pronunciation which deviate from the dictionary forms. I remember we discussed before the pronunciation of sentences such as 你多大了? (duo1 =>duo2), 好主意! (zhu3 => zhu2). I guess "mai2 shen3me ?" here may be just a similar case to remember.

[mingfal]

We often pronounce it as "mai3 shen2me hao3".

[amego]

its a rule...whenever two 3rd toned words are side by side, say AB, the word A always (well, almost) automatically changes to a 2nd tone...the reason is simple...it sounds nicer, really...if not if'll be very weird sounding...words like 老鼠 lao3 shu3 (mouse) just sound horrible...and one nice thing to note is that when we read, our brain will auto detect this and it will sound out nicely...cool...(even when reading names, where we don't know it in the first place)

BUT (In Singapore) when words that are used so very often that this rule is ignore, esp for an emphatic answer...

"不可以这样做的！" bu4 ke2 yi3 zhe4 yang4 zuo4 de You can't do it this way!

"我懂！" wo3 dong3 I know!

oh i just thought of another thing...you may ask "what if 2 or more consecutive 3rd toned words are together? simple...apply the same rule....

老鼠很美 lao3 shu3 hen3 mei3 =>>>> lao2 shu2 hen2 mei3 Mice are beautiful

yeppy

[nipponman]

its a rule...whenever two 3rd toned words are side by side, say AB, the word A always (well, almost) automatically changes to a 2nd tone...the reason is simple...it sounds nicer, really...if not if'll be very weird sounding...words like 老鼠 lao3 shu3 (mouse) just sound horrible...and one nice thing to note is that when we read, our brain will auto detect this and it will sound out nicely...cool...(even when reading names, where we don't know it in the first place)

Thats nice and everything but in the sentence买什么好, 什 is clearly second tone so that rule doesn't apply here.

[amego]

oh i see what you mean...its just that im used to saying shen3 me...and i din realise that e post was toking about shen2 me...haha

[Tyr]

Sorry for my ignorance I'm very new to the language. I can read the pinyin and know it translates to:

mai3 shen2me hao3

buy what good/well

Could you tell me what this means and in what context it's used?

Thanks,

Xiang

[HashiriKata]

Could you tell me what this means and in what context it's used?

It's a question and literally it means "To buy what is good?" So, => What should I buy?