Weak vowels

happY

Tense [i], in some cases with length, is a feature of most British English accents, and, having become the norm in RP (as distinct from traditional RP, where [ɪ] might sometimes be expected), is increasingly found in the North of England, where the slack vowel to and including [ε] has been a feature of vernacular speech. [e] is the vowel in Scotland and Rural Northern Ireland (in the latter alongside [ɪ]). Both [ɪ] and [i] are found in British Creole.