I heard from someone the the distinction is blurred and to simplify things, it is advised to always use the "The" with a schwa at the end...
"The" with long ee sound though can be used to emphasise and stress on something..
In all cases the correct pronunciation of "the" is a schwa at the end. Only when the following word begins with a vowel, it must be pronounced with the short sound /I/ or the long sound /i:/.
I heard from someone the the distinction is blurred and to simplify things, it is advised to always use the "The" with a schwa at the end...
"The" with long ee sound though can be used to emphasise and stress on something..