# Another survey on terms for carbonated beverages. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586 "2014-07-20T05:06:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/21 "2014-07-20T16:12:32Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > “Want some coke?” > “Sure.” > “Root beer or grape?” > The south. Yep, occasionally interchanged with with soda water. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Just… no. Not this again. Hey, you opened the thread knowing this was a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/22 "2014-07-20T18:31:30Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yep, occasionally interchanged with with soda water. > > Hey, you opened the thread knowing this was a possibility. It never happens. I’ve heard there’s a small corner of Texas where people say “What kind of Coke do you want”, but I don’t believe it. I can see the Coke headquarters from my house, and I’ve never heard anyone say anything like that. Ever. And what the hell is soda water? That means club soda where I’m from. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/23 "2014-07-20T18:47:18Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It never happens. I’ve heard there’s a small corner of Texas where people say “What kind of Coke do you want”, but I don’t believe it. I can see the Coke headquarters from my house, and I’ve never heard anyone say anything like that. Ever. And I’ve heard and said similar things all my life, in various parts of the South. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/24 "2014-07-20T18:56:23Z")
Similar things? Sure. “Do you want a coke or something?” I hear that all the time. I don’t believe for a second that any Southerner on the planet has ever refered to a Sprite as a “Sprite Coke”, which some northerners claim to have heard. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/25 "2014-07-20T19:04:58Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Similar things? Sure. “Do you want a coke or something?” I hear that all the time. I don’t believe for a second that any Southerner on the planet has ever refered to a Sprite as a “Sprite Coke”, which some northerners claim to have heard. But we neither call it “Sprite pop” up here, either. At least I’ve never heard it that way. Same for “Sprite soda.” It’s just “Sprite.” I can’t speak to the genericness of how “coke” is used in the south, but I trust reports from southerners that they do – at least some of them --, indeed, use it as a generic. It doesn’t sound all that weird to my ears. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/26 "2014-07-20T19:14:36Z")
You’ll hear it as a generic, for sure. Like “Can I get you a coke, or something?” is very common. You might also hear “Can a get you some tea, or a coke?” To which someone might reply “Do you have a Sprite?”, if they don’t want a coke. If I ever heard “What kind of Coke do you want?”, the only answers I would expect to hear would be diet or regular. ETA: I’ve never heard anyone accuse a northerner of saying “Sprite Pop”, so I’m not sure why you brought that up. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/27 "2014-07-20T20:25:53Z")
Illinois. Soda if fruit flavored or vanilla; pop if cola, root beer, or ginger ale. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/28 "2014-07-20T20:55:59Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Just… no. Not this again. Sorry it makes you cringe, and maybe you haven’t heard it yourself, but where I come from (East TN) it’s still a common thing to say. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/29 "2014-07-20T21:00:53Z")
Must be a different part of east TN than where I used to live, because I never heard anyone refer to a Root Beer or Grape Coke ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/30 "2014-07-20T21:21:28Z")
I grew up calling it “pop” as we do in these parts but I’ve spent enough time hanging around Wisconsin that I now say “soda” as well. Oddly, I say “soda” here in MN but when I cross the river to WI, I say “pop”. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/31 "2014-07-20T21:32:44Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Must be a different part of east TN than where I used to live, because I never heard anyone refer to a Root Beer or Grape Coke :smack: It’s no big deal and this is hardly worth it, but nobody says “grape coke” or “rootbeer coke.” Coke is the generic term for any carbonated beverage. “A coke” is offered even when there’s nothing else in the house but a yaller dope. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/32 "2014-07-20T21:35:45Z")
I have no idea what a yaller dope is. Mountain Dew? ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/33 "2014-07-20T22:00:07Z")
Nehi orange or Orange Crush. You never heard of “Gimme a yaller dope an’ a moonpie”? We used to call that lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/34 "2014-07-20T22:02:56Z")
RC Cola and a moonpie, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/35 "2014-07-20T22:13:12Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > ETA: I’ve never heard anyone accuse a northerner of saying “Sprite Pop”, so I’m not sure why you brought that up. I think you misunderstood me. I was making an analogy. The term “Sprite coke” wouldn’t be used, I think, much in the same way “Sprite pop” doesn’t make sense. I’ve never heard anyone claim Southerners call it “Sprite coke.” Rather, that the generic term is “coke” in some dialects. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/36 "2014-07-20T22:25:49Z")
I’m glad this isn’t exactly the poll I was expecting. Just the title made me realize that three terms are used around here: soda, sodapop (or sodypop), and pop. I mostly used “pop” as a kid, with sometimes specifying “sodapop” when I needed to add clarity or “sodypop” when I wanted to sound like a hillbilly (for effect). But now I pretty much just use “soda.” Both “pop” and “sodapop” sound childish. I still do not get the use of “coke” unless Coca-Cola was the first fizzy beverage these people had ever seen. And, yes, I said “fizzy beverage,” which is a term a bit more broad that soda, for me. It includes the sparkling waters and carbonated spirits. I also don’t think I’d use “soda” for lightly carbonated versions of otherwise carbonated beverages, like fizzy lemonade. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/37 "2014-07-20T23:14:55Z")
I go back-and-forth between pop and soda. I think it’s because I was raised in both the Pacific Northwest (pop country) and California (soda country). ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/38 "2014-07-20T23:38:44Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It never happens. I’ve heard there’s a small corner of Texas where people say “What kind of Coke do you want”, but I don’t believe it. I can see the Coke headquarters from my house, and I’ve never heard anyone say anything like that. Ever. > > And what the hell is soda water? That means club soda where I’m from. Yep, must a conspiracy of people on the internet against you. Or, maybe it happens and you just haven’t noticed it? Which do you think is a more likely explanation? And just as I said, a soda water is any of a number of carbonated canned beverages, also often referred to as a class using the term “cokes”. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/39 "2014-07-21T00:19:12Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I think you misunderstood me. I was making an analogy. The term “Sprite coke” wouldn’t be used, I think, much in the same way “Sprite pop” doesn’t make sense. I’ve never heard anyone claim Southerners call it “Sprite coke.” Rather, that the generic term is “coke” in some dialects. Oh, one if those chain emails that started a lot of misconceptions about southern terminology (y’all as singular) claimed that we called drinks Dr Pepper Cokes and Dorite Cokes, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586/40 "2014-07-21T00:29:19Z")
if = of Dorite = Sprite I really missed the edit window on that one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-survey-on-terms-for-carbonated-beverages/693586.md?page=3)