I pronounce
Ellen and
Elin the same but not pen and pin. The pen and pin thing is regional. But all English speakers will say
Ellen and
Elin the same because when the stress is not on the syllable, it often comes out so short that it's just softened into a schwa.
But thanks for posting the article. It's interesting.
This message was edited 5/10/2009, 7:48 PM