In the phrase 2人組, is there any difference between the readings ２人組 【ふたりぐみ】and ２人組 【ににんぐみ】?
I found it in this sentence:
男性によると、路上飲みをしていた2人組が、そのまま路上で寝始めたといいます
According to the man, a couple who were drinking on the street started sleeping on the street.
https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/580910
I find both readings here, but no explanation of the difference.
二人組 【ににんぐみ】、２人組 【ふたりぐみ】、２人組 【ににんぐみ】
This answer in the chiebukuro is very good and has all the references:
According to this post on the NHK, it could only be read as ににんぐみ in prior, but ふたりぐみ became an accepted alternative.
Also according to the book 『数え方でみがく日本語』(by Iida Asako, published by ちくまプリマ―新書、筑摩書房), there is a tendency to use ににんぐみ for criminals, rather than ふたりぐみ, because the latter is "less menacing".
So in the case of the FNN article you brought up, ににんぐみ is the most common usage, and when talking about kids playing in pairs, ふたりぐみ is the usual way to read it.
