Names for soft drinks in the United States
Regional terms for soft drinks reflect American geographic identity.
Names for soft drinks in the United States vary regionally, with soda and pop being the most common terms nationally. The choice of terminology is most closely associated with geographic origin, and using a particular term can be an act of geographic identity. Cambridge linguist Bert Vaux has studied the pop versus soda debate in conjunction with other regional vocabularies of American English.
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Soda
Soda is most common in the northeastern states, California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, and a pocket around St. Louis, Missouri, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It also appears along the east coast in eastern Virginia, eastern Carolinas, and coastal Florida, where it competes with terms like coke. The sharp soda/pop divide runs through western Pennsylvania and western New York near Rochester; those west of the line say pop, while those east say soda.
Coke
In the Southern United States, coke is used as a generic term for any soft drink, not just a Coca-Cola product. This usage extends into adjacent areas such as Southern Indiana and New Mexico. Isolated counties like Trinity County, California, and White Pine County, Nevada, also use generic coke, though small populations may skew results. Internationally, coke is the most common term for soft drinks.
Other names
In eastern Massachusetts, parts of Maine, and New Hampshire, people have called soft drinks "tonic" since at least 1888, but that term is now seen as old-fashioned and is losing ground to "soda." "Soda pop" is common in the Mountain West, while "soda" or "drinks" is typical in Idaho and Utah. In southern Virginia, the Carolinas, and into Louisiana, locals often say "drink," "cold drink," "carbo," or "soda." Rural parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas sometimes use "soda water" or "sodiewater." In New Orleans and most of east Texas, including the Dallas–Fort Worth area, people prefer "soft drink," "cold drink," or "fountain drink." American Spanish speakers use "refresco," meaning "refreshment."
More in American Soft Drinks
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