I hear Mr. Xi Jinping in his address to villagers spoke 老少边穷地区 in the fourth tone (i.e., 少 as 绍）, but I think he might have made a mistake here, out of instincts, without any real understanding.
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Not a mistake, No one say 老少(shao3)边穷, since 少 is preceded by a third tone, it is easy to say shao4 – Jacob Oct 7 '17 at 13:19
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It is definitely a mistake if pronounced as shao4. – fefe Oct 8 '17 at 1:20
Here’s 现代汉语规范词典’s entry:
老少边穷
PY lǎo-shǎo-biān-qióng
老解放区､少数民族地区､边疆地区和穷困地区的合称。
注意 “少”这里不读shào, 不当“年少”讲。
It should be pronounced as the 3rd tone, i.e. shǎo. Because 少 in 老少边穷地区 refers to 少数民族自治地区.
老少边穷地区：主要指革命老区、少数民族自治地区、陆地边境地区和欠发达地区。
BTW: 老少 (pronounced as lǎo shào) is another word which means the old and the young. So pronouncing 老少边穷 as lǎo shào biān qióng would be quite confusing.
Reference: “老少边穷”的“少”怎么读？
answered Oct 7 '17 at 13:27
