Which word do you typically use for carbonated soft drinks?
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  Which word do you typically use for carbonated soft drinks?
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Poll
Question: ?
#1
Pop
 
#2
Soda
 
#3
Coke
 
#4
Other
 
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Total Voters: 101

Author Topic: Which word do you typically use for carbonated soft drinks?  (Read 4402 times)
Ebsy
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #25 on: December 26, 2015, 12:01:46 AM »

Like everyone from St. Louis, soda.
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Fritz
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« Reply #26 on: December 26, 2015, 12:36:53 AM »

"Pop" is a generic name for all types of soft drinks, as is "soda" or even "soda pop."  I generally use "pop".

"Coke" means cola, it doesn't have to be Coca-Cola.  When ordering, I generally ask for diet coke, to which I sometimes get the response, "is diet Pepsi okay?"  Yes, I don't care what brand of diet cola you bring me; asking for a diet coke does not specifically mean Diet Coca-Cola.  If I were going to specify a brand, I would ask for a Coke Zero (which most restaurants don't carry).
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Hillary pays minimum wage
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« Reply #27 on: December 26, 2015, 12:42:05 AM »

Soda, but I grew up saying pop.
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Higgs
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« Reply #28 on: December 26, 2015, 12:56:33 AM »

I say Soda and so do most people I know, contrary to that map
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dead0man
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« Reply #29 on: December 26, 2015, 01:03:38 AM »

Like everyone from St. Louis, soda.
yup

I moved away in 94 and have spent most of my life since then in non-"soda" places.  I still call it soda.  "pop" sounds stupid and "Coke" is even dumber.
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Tender Branson
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« Reply #30 on: December 26, 2015, 01:48:13 AM »

Other (Austrian):

1) Limo
2) Kracherl
3) Cola
4) Sprite
5) Spezi
6) Soda (-Zitrone)
7) Fanta
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Vosem
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« Reply #31 on: December 26, 2015, 01:57:30 AM »

Soda, although my corner of Ohio overwhelmingly says 'pop'. I am from NYC originally, so it makes sense.
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bagelman
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« Reply #32 on: December 26, 2015, 01:59:57 AM »

mostly pop, sometimes soda, tolerate both, very intolerant and hostile of the idea of having my mtn. dew referred to as coke
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angus
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« Reply #33 on: December 26, 2015, 09:19:43 AM »

the idea of having my mtn. dew referred to as coke

Now that is a bizarre idea, but I've never heard any one do that.  I've yet to order a coca-cola and hear the waitress ask, "is Mountain Dew okay?"  It seems that Pepsi is mainly what they're pushing.  Someone earlier in the thread said that any cola might be called "coke."  I think that's what I've heard as well, but I've not heard the term applied to Fanta, Mountain Dew, Mellow Yellow, etc. 

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angus
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« Reply #34 on: December 26, 2015, 09:53:35 AM »

The thread made me curious, and the map certainly looks suspicious.  (For example, 80% of the residents of all those south Texas counties calling un refresco anything other than "un refresco" is especially suspicious.)  Sure enough, it's just a silly straw poll skewed by whatever factors cause people to respond to them as they do.

I really haven't heard anyone call a Mountain Dew or an orange soda a "coke".  (The myth of the South?  I lived in columbus, MS for three years, and in the DFW area for several years, and I have no recollection of anyone saying coke for those types of drinks, although I have several times heard waitresses ask me about Pepsi when I have explicitly said "Coca-Cola.")

Anyway, here's a map compiled from US Census data:


For most of the US, there's either insufficient data, or no dominant form.  Soda seems to be in the plurality, which is not surprising.  But it's important to note that this was compiled with a leading question "pop or soda?" rather than a more honest, open-ended questionnaire.  Still, apparently it is true that there are a few spots where people use the term "coke" as a generic one.  Those spots do not seem to be concentrated in any one region, but are rather spread out geographically.

Here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, soda wins out.  That seems to be the case all along the BosWash corridor, except in some northern New Jersey counties.
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Clyde1998
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« Reply #35 on: December 26, 2015, 06:35:04 PM »

I use "Fizzy Drink" or "Soft Drink" for a general term, but I don't use a collective term often. Although, I'd use "Coke" to refer to colas and the brand or generic product name otherwise.
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Clarko95 📚💰📈
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« Reply #36 on: December 26, 2015, 07:24:33 PM »

Pop (real American)
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Oldiesfreak1854
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« Reply #37 on: December 26, 2015, 07:58:16 PM »

Pop (Great Lakes/Upper Midwesterner), unless I'm in formal conversation.  In that case, I'd probably use "soft drink" or "carbonated drink/beverage."  I only use Coke if I'm referring to the Coca-Cola brand--I don't genericize it (and believe me, I hear it a lot; it's not just a Southern thing.)
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bagelman
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« Reply #38 on: December 27, 2015, 02:23:43 PM »

the idea of having my mtn. dew referred to as coke

Now that is a bizarre idea, but I've never heard any one do that.  I've yet to order a coca-cola and hear the waitress ask, "is Mountain Dew okay?"  It seems that Pepsi is mainly what they're pushing.  Someone earlier in the thread said that any cola might be called "coke."  I think that's what I've heard as well, but I've not heard the term applied to Fanta, Mountain Dew, Mellow Yellow, etc. 



Apparently that's what happens in the deep south, or so I've heard.
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#TheShadowyAbyss
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« Reply #39 on: December 27, 2015, 03:16:26 PM »

Most people in my county say 'Coke' but I say Soda.
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Blair
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« Reply #40 on: December 27, 2015, 04:39:02 PM »

Why don't you just call it by the brand? Can I have a coke? Can I have fanta? etc
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« Reply #41 on: December 27, 2015, 05:40:52 PM »

Why don't you just call it by the brand? Can I have a coke? Can I have fanta? etc
It's more like if you're asking for a drink in general...

"Would you like something to drink?"

"sure."

"What would you like?  I have pop, coffee, tea, juice"

"what kind of pop?"

"Coke, sprite" etc
You get it.
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RINO Tom
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« Reply #42 on: December 27, 2015, 05:43:40 PM »

Pop. Also, can anybody explain the St. Louis area on the map?

Just one of those weird things.  I used to be really interested in this, and the Midwest patterns are weird.  Most everywhere says pop except for some fiercely loyal soda enclaves.

See the few soda counties in Central Illinois?  Yeah, that's Peoria.  Everyone there says soda. B)
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angus
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« Reply #43 on: December 28, 2015, 01:14:29 PM »

Why don't you just call it by the brand? Can I have a coke?

I assume that most do, what is surprising is having the food service worker immediately asking, "Is Pepsi okay?"

"No, it's not okay.  A coke would be okay."
"We don't have coke."
"You don't have coca-cola?" 
"No, we have other stuff, not coca-cola."
"Okay, then, just bring me water.  You have water, don't you?"
"Yes, we have water."
"Okay, then one water please."

That's pretty typically how it goes here.
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Clark Kent
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« Reply #44 on: December 28, 2015, 01:40:31 PM »

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Grumpier Than Uncle Joe
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« Reply #45 on: December 28, 2015, 01:42:04 PM »

Pop.  (Yinzer normal)
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ilikeverin
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« Reply #46 on: December 28, 2015, 01:48:01 PM »

"Pop", of course.  Though living on the East Coast when I order pop I usually ask people "What soft drinks do you have?" That way I don't need to say the accursed "soda" but people don't give me weird looks.  Like, in Minnesota, if you order a "soda", people will know what you're talking about.  In Maryland, if you order a "pop", people will look at you like an alien.

Why don't you just call it by the brand? Can I have a coke? Can I have fanta? etc
It's more like if you're asking for a drink in general...

"Would you like something to drink?"

"sure."

"What would you like?  I have pop, coffee, tea, juice"

"what kind of pop?"

"Coke, sprite" etc
You get it.

I've had people stubbornly refuse to believe that people have a generic word for pop no matter how much confusion I show.  I've basically word for word given them that dialogue, and they just go, "That never happens, you just say something like 'what do you have to drink?'" and I don't even know how to respond.  THERE'S A GENERIC TERM, GOSH DARN IT, FOR FIZZY CARBONATED BEVERAGES.  I KNOW YOU HAVE IT SOMEWHERE.  REVEAL TO ME YOUR SECRETS.
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Mr. Reactionary
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« Reply #47 on: December 29, 2015, 12:17:03 AM »

Soft Drink. I'm from that green corridor in Virginia in North Carolina. I mainly hear soft drink or just drink around here.
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Hifly
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« Reply #48 on: December 29, 2015, 06:45:11 AM »

Why don't you just call it by the brand? Can I have a coke? Can I have fanta? etc

Because they're Americans.
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morgieb
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« Reply #49 on: December 29, 2015, 07:36:50 AM »

I mostly just use the term soft drink/its brand name.
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