I've heard old people (70+) years of age say 你 as lei5. Most people here say it, whether old or young, so that means that it's been around for a long time, it's definitely not new.
However, you must remember, when people read poetry, sing songs or read the news, nei5 is nearly always used. Lei5 is for formal speech, in other words, most people know that it's pronounced as "nei5" but it's just easier to use lei5.
For example, my music teacher, every time she speaks, she will say lei5. However, if she's singing a song or reading the lyrics, she will always say nei5.
The same goes for the CDs I have with poetry recitals-nei5 is the reading for 你。
Even though some cantonese learning materials (especially those which focus on oral communication), such as the "fun with Cantonese" series use lei5 and ignore nei5 completely, learners should note that nei5 may be correct in some situations.
If you want to read poetry or sing karoeke, then 你 and other N initials should be pronounced as nei5 otherwise it won't sound correct. if you want to ask your friend where he/she just disappeared to, then you say lei5去咗邊呀。
(although the chinese university press 粵語速成 series uses nei5, even for oral cantonese).
For me, I say lei5 in day to day speech, however, if I'm reading poetry, I read 你 as nei5.
Having said that, I’m not entirely sure that most people are aware of the n initials for other words-鳥，尿，囊，農 are supposed to start with N, but most people don't know that (whereas nearly everyone would know that 女 or 你 needs 鼻音）
However, you must remember, when people read poetry, sing songs or read the news, nei5 is nearly always used. Lei5 is for formal speech, in other words, most people know that it's pronounced as "nei5" but it's just easier to use lei5.
For example, my music teacher, every time she speaks, she will say lei5. However, if she's singing a song or reading the lyrics, she will always say nei5.
The same goes for the CDs I have with poetry recitals-nei5 is the reading for 你。
Even though some cantonese learning materials (especially those which focus on oral communication), such as the "fun with Cantonese" series use lei5 and ignore nei5 completely, learners should note that nei5 may be correct in some situations.
If you want to read poetry or sing karoeke, then 你 and other N initials should be pronounced as nei5 otherwise it won't sound correct. if you want to ask your friend where he/she just disappeared to, then you say lei5去咗邊呀。
(although the chinese university press 粵語速成 series uses nei5, even for oral cantonese).
For me, I say lei5 in day to day speech, however, if I'm reading poetry, I read 你 as nei5.
Having said that, I’m not entirely sure that most people are aware of the n initials for other words-鳥，尿，囊，農 are supposed to start with N, but most people don't know that (whereas nearly everyone would know that 女 or 你 needs 鼻音）