5 ms·
On the "soda vs pop vs coke" question, as a child I would have never used any of those words. Here in Western NC, we said "soft drink" for sweet carbonated beve
by Pharylon 9y ago
On the "soda vs pop vs coke" question, as a child I would have never used any of those words. Here in Western NC, we said "soft drink" for sweet carbonated beverages. People my age (late 30s) and older still do, but the younger generation has picked up "soda."
- santaclaus 9y agoI'm from Durham, NC and for 22 years hadn't heard 'coke' refer to anything other than, well, a coke (I always said soda or soft drink). It wasn't until I moved to NY that I learned of the 'coke' for soda stereotype about southerners! (Don't get me started on 'law'yer vs 'loy'er, though...)
- FroshKiller 9y agoIn the Piedmont, we said "drink." Growing up, I knew what "soft drink" meant and understood the distinction, but nobody among my family & friends used that phrase. Also never heard anyone call anything but a Coke a Coke, which is a really common stereotype of Southern English.
- Pharylon 9y agoI'm from the Piedmont too, Gaston County to be specific. I know what you mean. Most of the time you'd just ask if they wanted a drink, and by context they knew what you meant. I'd say "soft drink" only if I needed to narrow it down. "Do you want something to drink?" "Tea or a soft drink if you have it."
- darrmit 9y agoI too am from the extreme eastern part of the Piedmont (Wayne/Johnston) and we always said "drink" to indicate something other than water or tea. A Coke is a Coke.
- tyingq 9y agoTonic was also a popular term for any type of soda (coke, sprite, etc) in the northeast US, at least in the 1980's. And pronounced like tawnic.
- hirsin 9y agoHow else is it pronounced? Tawn like lawn,ic
- jamiek88 9y agoTonic with the 'ton' pronounced like 'on'is the only way I've ever heard it pronounced. My wife is from Boston too. I love stuff like this, I've lived in Texas 13 years and have been pronouncing taco wrong until pointed out to me. They say itmore like tocko than tacko like Brits do.
- hirsin 9y agoHeh, this is the issue, which makes me also love this stuff. I pronounce 'awn' and 'on' in 'lawn' and 'on' the same. Grew up in Pittsburgh so that tends to do it.
- cassowary 9y agoTake a look at the map in the original article. The areas covered in either blue slashes or blue hatches (i.e. left and right slashes intersecting), which is most of the US, has "Don" = "Dawn". There's also the "on" line, so for those who distinguish "Don" and "Dawn", some Americans pronounce "on" as if it was "awn". For me "tonic" has a fairly short vowel in the first syllable. Whereas "Tawnic" would have a longer vowel. There's also a different in sound. You might hear my "aw" as if it was a long "o" sound. The Australian vowel system is really nothing like the American vowel system.
- tyingq 9y agoHmm, I was trying to note the distinct New England sound of it. Maybe "tahwn-ick" says it better? The first syllable is drawn out much more than I would hear that word somewhere other than New England.
- KGIII 9y agoDown Eastern tonic pronunciation, as used in a sentence, for those who are curious. https://vocaroo.com/i/s1Se7U44m2c7 https://vocaroo.com/i/s1Se7U44m2c7 (I was going to go with Bostonian, Southie, but decided this one was better.)
- cat199 9y agocalling soft drinks 'coke' I think is more a TX thing.. so some confusion as TX was part of the confederacy ('the south') but isn't exactly 'the south', as most 'real southerners' would agree (but not southern leaning TXans)
- michaelcampbell 9y ago"Coke" as a general term is popular here in the Atlanta area; where the actual Coke HQ is located.
- Splines 9y agoWhen I grew up I used "soft drink" as well, but where I live now (PNW) nobody understands this, so I just use "soda".
- sudosteph 9y agoI think you're onto something. If you check the "other" responses for NC on popvssoda.com, you'll see "drink" and "soft drink" are way more popular in the NC. Maybe even popular enough to warrant a separate category. I think "soda" is more of a fallback choice for NC folks, because the term "soda fountain" is more common than the term "pop". Calling a non-coke beverage a "Coke" just seems silly though. I'm from CLT, but when I think of what I would expect to see on a menu if I'm looking for a coke, it's "soft drinks". Likewise, if someone comes over to my place, I might ask, "Can I get you a drink? I've got Sweet Tea and Cokes in the fridge." Though more commonly I would say "something to drink". I've heard that in other parts of the country though, "drink" only implies alchoholic beverages, which was very different from my experience. Now that I think about, maybe the reason we prefer "soft drink" is because sodas are usually grouped with sweet tea. And sweet tea really is the ultimate sweet, cold, drink of choice in NC. Though Coke or Sprite will do if a restaurant doesn't have any brewed and ready.
- kodablah 9y ago> Calling a non-coke beverage a "Coke" just seems silly though. It's not. Would you force my nose to continue to run because you don't have the Kleenex brand? Or must I continue to bleed because you don't have a Band-Aid brand bandage?
- kbutler 9y agoBut coke is a flavor. Will you get me a coke? Sure, what kind? Sprite...