can be fricated . This means that 'me' and 'high' can be pronounced and , with two phonetic consonants and a monophthong. In emphatic speech an epenthetic schwa can follow the fricative (). However, close vowels in closely related Swedish have also been reported to end in a fricative (as in 'strainer'), but the fricative element is typically analyzed as a part of the vowel. Frication of word-final close monophthongs accompanied with devoicing of the fricative element has been reported to occur in Parisian French and Dutch, with varying degrees of frequency. Those are invariably analyzed as vowels, not least because they are monophthongal in other positions. The native diphthongs , and are monophthongized in some dialects, with the first two merging with and the last one with . This monophthongization is reflected in spelling in the case of Swedish and Danish, where it is a part of the standard language. The following section describe each monophthong in detail. Phonetic realisation are unrounded, whereas are rounded: The close have been variously described as protruded and compressed as well as compressed and protruded . The backness of has also been variously described as central and near-front . Therefore, may be differentiated from by backness and the type of rounding or even only by the type of rounding. The close back are compressed . The mid are protruded . The height and backness of Norwegian vowels is as follows: have been variously described as near-close and close . In addition, and are more peripheral than the canonical values of IPA ( and , respectively). are phonetically close . is mid front . are close-mid . is front, yet has been variously described as front and central . has been variously described as open-mid front and mid central . has been variously described as near-open back and close-mid back . has been variously described as mid back and close-mid back . have often been described as near-open front . However, Kristoffersen's formant chart places much lower than , suggesting that the former has the quality of cardinal . is similarly lowered to . are open back . are frequently realized as centering diphthongs . can also be realized as , yet are always monophthongal. However, according to , the diphthongal variants of are opening , not centering. Symbols The vowels are invariably transcribed with . are most often transcribed with , but may