I’ve gone looking and unfortunately can’t find a proper name for it (like with the “cot/caught” merger or the “pin/pen” merger), but there does indeed seem to be attestations of a sort of “bail/bell merger” in parts of America, including Texas. Neat!
It’s phonetic with a strong accent. Likely they’ve never seen it written down or heard it without the accent
I’ve gone looking and unfortunately can’t find a proper name for it (like with the “cot/caught” merger or the “pin/pen” merger), but there does indeed seem to be attestations of a sort of “bail/bell merger” in parts of America, including Texas. Neat!