<p>It seems like, at least in Taiwan, most words for relatives can alternatively also be stressed on the second syllable instead of on the first:
So <em>ayí</em> instead of <em>āyí</em>, <em>mamá</em> instead of <em>māma</em>, <em>meiméi</em> or <em>meimēi</em> instead of <em>mèimei</em>, <em>shushú</em> instead of <em>shúshu</em>.</p>
<p>While I think it is pretty clear that head-stressed variant is the more formal one and the other one is unlikely to show up in formal settings, I wonder if there are other, maybe functional differences between those. I mean, are they equally likely to occur when</p>
<ol>
<li>taking about others &quot;他阿姨&quot;</li>
<li>using numbering schemes &quot;大阿姨，二阿姨&quot;</li>
<li>using the name &quot;淑智阿姨&quot;</li>
<li>using no specifier &quot;阿姨說...&quot;</li>
<li>directly addressing &quot;阿姨，...&quot;</li>
</ol>
<p>etc.? Or is it prosody?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-11T17:48:34.527Z
For Mandarin, the following names of relatives are all stressed at the second syllable - 祖父, 姨丈/父, 姑丈/父. Also, in Taiwan, 阿姐, 阿姨, and 阿伯 are all stressed at the second syllable as well.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-12T06:31:03.833Z
Link to paper on [Tone 3-2 kinship terms](https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/32694/1/Choo_RQ_PhDThesis.pdf) from children speaking _Singaporean Mandarin_.
Michaelyus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-12T06:35:33.013Z
[Chapter 3 of _Identity Politics and Popular Culture in Taiwan: A Sajiao Generation_](https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hpW9DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57) - _The Uses of_ Sajiao 撒嬌
Michaelyus
<pronunciation><spoken><taiwan>
What is the difference of head-stressed and final-stressed pronunciations for words for relatives?
# What is the difference of head-stressed and final-stressed pronunciations for words for relatives?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-09-11)

It seems like, at least in Taiwan, most words for relatives can alternatively also be stressed on the second syllable instead of on the first:
So *ayí* instead of *āyí*, *mamá* instead of *māma*, *meiméi* or *meimēi* instead of *mèimei*, *shushú* instead of *shúshu*.

While I think it is pretty clear that head-stressed variant is the more formal one and the other one is unlikely to show up in formal settings, I wonder if there are other, maybe functional differences between those. I mean, are they equally likely to occur when

1. taking about others "他阿姨"
2. using numbering schemes "大阿姨，二阿姨"
3. using the name "淑智阿姨"
4. using no specifier "阿姨說..."
5. directly addressing "阿姨，..."

etc.? Or is it prosody?

**Tags:** pronunciation, spoken, taiwan

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: For Mandarin, the following names of relatives are all stressed at the second syllable - 祖父, 姨丈/父, 姑丈/父. Also, in Taiwan, 阿姐, 阿姨, and 阿伯 are all stressed at the second syllable as well.  
> **username_2**: Link to paper on [Tone 3-2 kinship terms](https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/32694/1/Choo_RQ_PhDThesis.pdf) from children speaking _Singaporean Mandarin_.  
> **username_2**: [Chapter 3 of _Identity Politics and Popular Culture in Taiwan: A Sajiao Generation_](https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hpW9DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57) - _The Uses of_ Sajiao 撒嬌  

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## 0 answers

