85. e like French e in “été”, English a in “name” as usually pronounced in America, i. e. without the diphthongic element. Short e only occurs in words formed by inflection or derivation from words with long e; Ex.: bre(d)t neuter form of bre(d) broad, Bredde breadth, derived from the same word; Ex. long: Te tea, Ve(d) wood, hed (pron. het) hot.
Orthographic sign of this sound is e.
Note. In the dialect of Christiania and the southern part of Norway the long sound of e has been substituted for that of ä, see § 84 note. On the other hand the short sound of e is in the speech of many, even educated, people in the course of being replaced by a half wide short ä. As yet, however, the pronouriciation of brät instead of bre(d)t may be considered as bordering on the vulgar.
86. i short or long; it has the narrow sound of English ee in “see”; Ex. long: Vin wine, ti ten, i in; short: Vin(d) wind, li(d)t (neut.) little. Orthographic sign i, except in the word de (De) they, the, you.
Note. For the pronunciation of mig, dig, sig see § 94. Before vowels i as a rule is pronounced so very short as to make it almost or wholly consonantic in character: Kastanie (pron. Kastanje) chestnut, Familie (j) family, Kristiania (j, or as a very short i); as a short i also in Kariol carriole, Million; tredie the third is pronounced tredde or tredje.
87. ə has the sound of German unaccented e in “Gabe,” approaching French e in “que”; but often its articulation is more advanced and then it sounds almost like a short e. This is especially often the case in unaccented prefixes, ə only occurs in unaccented syllables; orthographic sign e; Ex.: Gave gift, være to be, befale (ə-a-ə) to order.
Note. the orthographic sign for ə is i or e in tusin(d) or tusen(d) thousand.
88. å has a sound approaching English a in call (but it is pronounced with a somewhat higher articulation; raised low
