Names for soft drinks in the United States

Names for soft drinks in the United States vary regionally. "Soda" and "pop" are the most common terms for soft drinks nationally, although other terms are used, especially "coke" (a genericized name for Coca-Cola) in the South. Since individual names tend to dominate regionally, the use of a particular term can be an act of geographic identity.^[1][2] The choice of terminology is most closely associated with geographic origin, rather than other factors such as race, age, or income. The differences in naming have been the subject of scholarly studies. Cambridge linguist Bert Vaux, in particular, has studied the "pop vs. soda debate" in conjunction with other regional vocabularies of American English.^[3]

History

According to writer Andrew Schloss, "soda" derives from sodium, a common mineral in natural springs, and was first used to describe carbonation in 1802. "Pop" was first used in 1812, and is an onomatopoeic word derived from the sound of a carbonated beverage being opened. Schloss gives the following years as the first attestations of the following terms for such beverages:^[4]

Coke

In the Southern United States, "coke" (or "cola") is used as a generic term for any type of soft drink—not just a Coca-Cola product or another cola. This terminology is also used in areas adjacent to the traditional southern states, such as New Mexico and Southern Indiana. Several other locations have been found to use the generic "coke," such as Trinity County, California and White Pine County, Nevada,^[5] although the small populations of these counties may skew survey results. A Twitter data scientist, however, found that while "soda" and "pop" dominate in the United States, "coke" is a generic soft drink name in other countries, especially in Europe.^[6]

Pop

Price list at Chicago's Express Grill, showing the word "pop" at the bottom

"Pop" is most commonly associated with the Midwest.^[7] The term is also more common in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West.^[5]

Soda

"Soda" is most common on the East and West Coasts,^[8] as well as Hawaii, St. Louis, Missouri, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ^[5]

Other names

• "Tonic" is used all over eastern New England, although the usage is being replaced with "soda"; cola drinks are generally referred to as "Coke" (or sometimes "Pepsi") unless another brand is specified.
• "Soda pop" is used by some speakers, especially in the Mountain West. "Soda" or "drinks" is common in Idaho and Utah.
• "Drink", "cold drink", and "soda" are locally common in southern Virginia and the Carolinas, spreading from there as far as Louisiana.
• "Soda water" is used in more rural parts of the US.
• "Soft drink" or "cold drink" is the phrase of choice in New Orleans, and most of east Texas as far west as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (although in the DFW Metroplex itself the usage is somewhat colloquial).
• At many restaurants in the U.S., the products of only a single major beverage producer, such as The Coca-Cola Company or PepsiCo, are available. While most patrons requesting a "coke" may be truly indifferent as to which cola brand they receive, the careful server will confirm intent with a question like "Is Pepsi OK?" This is also enforced by Coca-Cola so that it can protect its trademark. Similarly, 7 Up or Sprite or Sierra Mist may indicate any clear, carbonated, citrus-flavoured drink at hand. The generic uses of these brand names does not affect the local usage of the words "pop" or "soda" to mean any carbonated beverage.

See also

• List of soft drinks by country#United States

References

External links

• Pop vs. Soda, a web project tracking soft drink naming