I've always pronounced it with a long I. Because my parents do. My mom has a degree in English and was a teacher for a while, plus I've been into British culture for quite a while.
For what it's worth, long E is the more conventional American pronunciation and long I is more British. Likewise gray and grey.
And according to the last edition of MLA I read, Americans should use toward, forward, and backward, while the British should use towards, forwards, and backwards. Dunno why.
For what it's worth, long E is the more conventional American pronunciation and long I is more British. Likewise gray and grey.
And according to the last edition of MLA I read, Americans should use toward, forward, and backward, while the British should use towards, forwards, and backwards. Dunno why.