Scholars of Twang Track All the ’Y’Alls’ in Texas

A fascinating article titled Scholars of Twang Track All the ’Y’Alls’ in Texas. I was puzzled by this:

One traditional feature of Texas and Southern speech — pronouncing the word 'pen' like 'pin,' known as the pen/pin merger — is disappearing in the big Texas cities, while remaining common in rural areas, Dr. Tillery said. Texans in the prairie may shell out 'tin cints,' but not their metropolitan brethren.

Huh. I never knew that anyone anywhere pronounced "pen" differently from "pin." Maybe I just haven't been paying attention.