Pop, Soda or Coke? 11 Maps Show How Differently Americans Speak

IJReview ^ | July 3, 2014

[NYer]

Is it y’all or you guys? Pop or soda? Freeway or highway? How you answer can reveal which part of the United States you call home.

These 11 maps, researched by N.C. State Professor Joshua Katz, show that we are a nation divided over terminology from desserts to the weather. In honor of our national Independence Day, we thought we’d take a look:

As you can see, we are a nation of diversity, which can be both good and bad. Too often, we become too focused on our population’s political divide and the hate-filled rhetoric that comes from both sides.

However, this week as we celebrate America’s independence, let’s give thanks that we are able to have these disagreements and focus on the liberty and freedom we all share.

[RegulatorCountry]

In NC there is no distinctive term covering them all other than “drink” (sounds like drank), which covers more than just carbonated beverages. When you get down to different brands, we’re generally careful to refer to them by name. I suppose that’s because so many of them originated locally and regionally. Pepsi originated in New Bern, NC, originally known as “Brad’s Drink” (drank). “Brad” was Caleb Bradham, who was the drug store owner who came up with it in 1898. “Pepsi” arose after it became popular enough to bottle and they needed a trademark brand name. Pep. It was sold as a sort of pick-me-up energy drink much like the modern Red Bull or Monster. Coke originated in Atlanta. There’s a name for that in local dialect that you might still hear from older folks or way out in the country. “Co-coler.”

[Kickass Conservative]

No Coke, Pepsi...

[mountn man]

:)

[randita]

One of my sons attended PSU and I never heard him talk about Cosmos. Was there a joint in State College named Cosmos that served heated subs?

[FlJoePa]

It's really a Williamsport only thing. Though the dining halls at PSU used to serve Chicken Cosmos and they were THE favorite of the students. They would smuggle them out of the dining halls back to their dorms in huge numbers.

Wiki entry on submarine sandwiches - scroll down to "other names"...

[autumnraine]

INDEED!

However Dr Pepper seems to not rile people up as bad haha

[bboop]

Error on all of them too.

[Oatka]

Jay Leno pulled that in one of his “ask the public” skits. When they didn’t know the answer, he’d ask “Don’t JUNEAU?” None of ‘em ever caught on.

[Coleus]

Soda???

If you live in North East NJ or in NYC it’s called SODER...

[NYer]

If you live in North East NJ or in NYC it’s called SODER...

Check out the links in my post #53

[AnAmericanMother]

In old Atlanta (my grandfather's day) a carbonated beverage was called a "dope".

Prob cause Coca-cola was made with spent coca leaves.

[AnAmericanMother]

Where your grandparents from? My grandfather (born in Augusta GA, went to GA Tech and settled in Atlanta) said “dope”.

[don-o]

East Tenn.

[AnAmericanMother]

Dang, you forgot Cheerwine. My daughter got hooked on the stuff while at college at Davidson.

Tastes like very thin cherry cola to me.

[AnAmericanMother]

Dad’s family is from E. Tenn, way back (from the 1790s to the 1830s, when they moved down to NE Alabama). Both my maternal grandparents were from Augusta - his were recent Scottish immigrants and some dude from Baltimore, hers were Charleston and Tidewater VA but that was way back (she was known to remind us that her grandmother was a Byrd.)

[AnAmericanMother]

If you listen to this, you'll hear "Mamanem" in the wild:

$#!+ Southern Ladies Say

. . . about 17 seconds in. But the rest is worth listening to.

[don-o]

In old Atlanta (my grandfather's day) a carbonated beverage was called a "dope". Prob cause Coca-cola was made with spent coca leaves.

I wonder if it had anything to do with the variety of patent medicines? Maybe when soft drinks first came out, folks perhaps teased each other about what this new thing actually was.

Just guessing.

[AnAmericanMother]

That is actually the case.

The "soda fountain" began in the drug store. The various syrups mixed with the carbonated water were originally patent medicines - including Coca-Cola, which was invented by an Atlanta druggist, John Pemberton.

[truth_seeker]

I grew up in the “soda” and the “pop” regions, and in my family we said “soda pop.”

Anybody else heard of that usage?

[GeronL]

The first soft drinks were touted as health tonics... (”Dr. Pepper” “Pepsi” as in “Pep you up” etc etc)

Strange right?

Same with cold cereal actually