soft drinks ? regional question

[Tractorat]

I wonder if someone out there may be able to help me with a regional question



Here in seattle (and I think the whole west coast), we've always referred to coke, or root beer (for example) as just "pop". If my memory serves me, it seems like down south (Georgia in particular ?), everything was just referred to as "coke". (If you were going to the store to get some coke, or some root beer, or just 7up, you were going to get some "cokes")



What Im trying to remember (or figure out ) what part of the country refers (or used to refer) to "pop" as "soft drinks ?



Anyone ?

 

[GHarman]

West Virginia. Pop!

 

[Wayne M.]

My Uncle in South Carolina advised me to use "pop" to defray the harshness of my NYC accent when there. in NYC its usually "Coke / Diet Coke" or specify the type of soda by flavor.

 

[Tractorat]

This would go back to the 50s and 60s and before. It would be the generic term for "pop". Just trying to remember who used to call it "soft drinks".

 

[mwilson]

My Uncle in South Carolina advised me to use "pop" to defray the harshness of my NYC accent when there. in NYC its usually "Coke / Diet Coke" or specify the type of soda by flavor.

Maine... .



A Coke, A Soda or A Soda Pop are the most common.



If you sauntered into a store up here and asked for a "Pop" ... ..... suddenly sprouting a third eyeball would bring less attention then that



Mike

 

[AEdelheit]

Never heard "Pop" used untill I went back to IL, in this part of Ca Ive always heard "Coke" or "Soda"

 

[Tractorat]

Thanks for all the replys. Still trying to figure out where it was referred to as "soft drink".

 

[jhenderson]

Soft drink is what I hear on the news. Soda is what I buy at the store.

 

[mwilson]

Soft drink is what I hear on the news. Soda is what I buy at the store.

Hear Soft Drink in the movies a lot as well.

 

[BSeyler]

This will probably give you more information than you ever thought you'd need.

http://www.popvssoda.com/

If you look at the bottom left, there is a link that shows totals by state. Click on your state and you can see what people are reporting.

 

[mwilson]

This will probably give you more information than you ever thought you'd need.



http://www.popvssoda.com/



If you look at the bottom left, there is a link that shows totals by state. Click on your state and you can see what people are reporting.

Good grief, there truly is everything on the internet... ... . "There's an app for that"... ...



Mike.

 

[rkressg]

Pittsburgh == Pop
There is no other word for it.

 

[FOXY005]

Eastern PA..... "Soda"

 

[icman95]

I've lived in the Northeast all my life and traveled to all of the northeastern states. The only time I hear "pop" rather than "soda" is when I'm outside of the northeast or someone from outside of it is here traveling. On the other hand, I'm not so sure about those chocolate or rainbow colored things you put on ice cream. Some places here they are called "sprinkles" (what I was taught) and others-especially out near Boston-they are "jimmies". But that's another discussion.....

 

[Killgore]

Okay, I'll own up to it. Around here it's either a soft drink or a cold drink.



Ed

 

[Tractorat]

Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like Alabama is about the only place where "soft drink" is the term.

What got me on this (well, there were a couple of things).

The mayor of seattle is from New York. He is so liberal, that even the local liberals don't like him. Anyway, he wants to impose a "soda" tax in the city of seattle. Doesnt affect me since Im outside the city. But this guy has done so much crap, it just sets me off when he uses New York terminology (especially in a legal setting) in seattle.

The other that actually got me started is the grocery store up the street is being remodeled. They used to have an aisle for "pop". They are now calling it the "soft drink" aisle.

I know this is a petty pet peeve of mine. But I liked it when different regions had their own accents and local names for different products etc. It made traveling around the country much more interesting and fun. I was in southern Utah a couple of years ago. A couple of ladies were talking and one said she was from Minnesota (could have fooled me). The other woman asked why she didnt sound like she just came off the movie set of "Fargo" (or something to that effect). The Mn woman said, "no one talks like that anymore". In reality, she is wrong. She probably moved there from california. Im related to half the state of Mn, and most of my relatives (at least the ones my age) talk like that.

Oops, got off track. What went thru my mind at the grocery store was another out of town business trying to change things again.