Characters with variable tones, 法 for example

Language Learning Chinese
1

I’ve got a question about the tone of the 法 in 法蘭克and 法國，and when it stands alone. I’ve checked different sources and they don’t concur. The book Truant’s flashcards are based on, Zhongwen.com and Mandarintools.com all have different versions, second, third and fourth tones. Which one is correct, esp. in Taiwan? A friend of mine says:

法 : 3rd tone – law, rule
: 4th tone – 法國 ( France )

What do you say?

Thanks

2

Your friend is exactly right, for Taiwan. In the mainland it’s 3rd tone for both.

3

similar example:
亞洲 3rd tone in Taiwan
4th tone in China.