The short half-close front vowel

The short half-close front to central vowel (monophthong) is pronounced by the front of the tongue being raised towards the hard palate. The rims of the tongue form a loose closure along the sides of the mouth, while the air passes freely out over the middle. There is little muscular tension, and the sound is lax. The sound is considerably lower and more retracted than its Norwegian counterpart, and Norwegians therefore tend to make it sound more like a short variety of the long /i:/. In order to pronounce the sound correctly, Norwegians should take care to make the sound more central. The sound is regularly represented by the letter "i" and combinations, but there are a number of exceptions to be learnt.