<p>This particular pronunciation is traditionally used in crosstalk, especially in the northern area of China. I think it's related to Tianjin dialect. Today Chinese only pronounce 小小 as 'xiaoxiao'.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-26T08:13:09.307Z
2013-10-26T08:13:09.307Z
Leo
<p>In the classic 相声《卖马》, near the beginning is a line that goes:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>在下王老好的便是，就在这潞州天堂县开了一个*<em>小小</em>*的店房</p>
</blockquote>

<p>but in that line, "<strong>小小</strong>" was pronounced as "<strong>xué xiǎo</strong>". Here's a clip: <a href="http://youtu.be/cB391VthT4Q?t=1m11s" rel="noreferrer">http://youtu.be/cB391VthT4Q?t=1m11s</a></p>

<p>Why is this pronunciation used? Is it a specific dialect? And if so, what?</p>

<ul>
<li>At first I thought perhaps it originated from Peking Opera, because the piece was adapted from the Peking Opera piece <a href="http://baike.baidu.com/subview/371274/11204156.htm?fromId=371274&amp;from=rdtself" rel="noreferrer">《秦琼卖马》</a>. However finding a clip online, the correct "xiao xiao" pronunciation was used: <a href="http://youtu.be/EUvd28rphTQ?t=2m48s" rel="noreferrer">http://youtu.be/EUvd28rphTQ?t=2m48s</a></li>
<li>I don't think it was a mispronunciation, because there's a modern version by 郭德纲 of the same piece which also uses the "xué xiǎo" pronunciation: <a href="http://youtu.be/ixk1JoE3-Go?t=1m49s" rel="noreferrer">http://youtu.be/ixk1JoE3-Go?t=1m49s</a></li>
</ul>

<pronunciation><topolect>
Why is "小小" pronounced as "xué xiǎo"?
# Why is "小小" pronounced as "xué xiǎo"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-10-26)

In the classic 相声《卖马》, near the beginning is a line that goes:

> 在下王老好的便是，就在这潞州天堂县开了一个\**小小*\*的店房

but in that line, "**小小**" was pronounced as "**xué xiǎo**". Here's a clip: <http://youtu.be/cB391VthT4Q?t=1m11s>

Why is this pronunciation used? Is it a specific dialect? And if so, what?

* At first I thought perhaps it originated from Peking Opera, because the piece was adapted from the Peking Opera piece [《秦琼卖马》](http://baike.baidu.com/subview/371274/11204156.htm?fromId=371274&from=rdtself). However finding a clip online, the correct "xiao xiao" pronunciation was used: <http://youtu.be/EUvd28rphTQ?t=2m48s>
* I don't think it was a mispronunciation, because there's a modern version by 郭德纲 of the same piece which also uses the "xué xiǎo" pronunciation: <http://youtu.be/ixk1JoE3-Go?t=1m49s>

**Tags:** pronunciation, topolect


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-10-26. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

This particular pronunciation is traditionally used in crosstalk, especially in the northern area of China. I think it's related to Tianjin dialect. Today Chinese only pronounce 小小 as 'xiaoxiao'.


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