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The Pen-Pin Merger
In Southern English, the vowels /ɛ/ (as in "pen") and /ɪ/ (as in "pin") merge before nasal consonants (/m/, /n/, /ŋ/). Both sound like /ɪ/.
Examples:
- "pen" and "pin" sound the same → /pɪn/
- "ten" and "tin" sound the same → /tɪn/
- "hem" and "him" sound the same → /hɪm/
Southerners often specify: "ink pen" (writing pen) vs "pin" (sewing pin) to distinguish them in context.
This merger does NOT apply outside of nasal contexts:
- "pet" and "pit" are still different
- "bed" and "bid" are still different
Listen Across Accents
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Hand me that ink pen, and then pin it to the bulletin board.
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