Soda, coke or pop. What do you call it.

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I must be weird, i call it what it's called, Orangina, Fanta, Schweppes Lemon, Lemonade etc.

You don't ever talk about them in aggregate?

"What pop should we get for the party?"
"Oh... how about Orangina, Fanta, and Schweppes?"

 

[ChristineM]

You don't ever talk about them in aggregate?

"What pop should we get for the party?"
"Oh... how about Orangina, Fanta, and Schweppes?"

I try not to talk about them at all.

But when i do it'll be "Go get a couple of bottles of Orangina, and a Schweppes lemon"

 

[Stevicus]

I was curious about the background of this regional oddity and found this article:

Why Do Some People Say "Soda" and Others Say "Pop?" Let's Get To The Bottom Of This Age-Old Mystery

Language is super weird. I think about how weird English in particular, is every time I find myself having to say "that that," or wondering why "patio" and "ratio" don't rhyme. It makes no sense! But within the would of sociolinguistic phenomenons…

www.bustle.com

The answer is actually based primarily in geography. According to Wikipedia, the first soda fountains appeared in America by way of New Haven, CT, so the word "soda" became deeply entrenched in the vocabulary of East Coasters as early as 1863. By contrast, Coke became the generalized name for the carbonated beverages in the South and Southeast because Coca-Cola originated in the South.

So what about pop, then? The story goes that "pop" got its name from the sound that's made when you remove the cork from a bottle of...well, pop. Maybe if there hadn't been innovations like the soda fountain or Coca-Cola in other parts of the country, we'd all be using this onomatopoeia to refer to our soft drinks, too.

It seems they're suggesting that the "soda fountain" influences the usage of the word "soda," while "pop bottle" apparently influences the usage of "pop." And the usage of Coke to describe all carbonated beverages is because Coca-Cola originated in the South (invented by a former Confederate general). But are they saying they didn't have soda fountains in the Midwest and could only get bottled carbonated beverages?

 

[Augustus]

Soda, coke, pop or soft drink.
Or other('soda pop') or???

I've always called it soda.

What do you call it?

Where I grew up we called it “juice”.

“Get us a can of juice from the shop. Coke.”

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Soft drinks.

Ask for a soda here, and you'll get a soda water to mix with your Scotch.