Date:  Thu, 17 Jul 1997 15:36:36 -0400
From:  Allan Metcalf <AAllan[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM>
Subject: Bade, long and short

I've been asked -

>Is the pronunciation of bade (past tense of bid) controversial? . . . . Is
it
>a dialect issue, a class issue, or a thing indifferent? Is long a driving
>out short a?

My answer is that
DARE is silent on this; has no entry for bid (v) or bade at all. Nor have I
heard of any such controversy. I suspect there's a modern spelling
pronunciation encroaching on a traditional one.

But have I missed something? Is there patterned variation, or controversy?

- Allan Metcalf