August 20, 2008, 9:33 am
Pop vs. Soda
By Henry Woodbury
My brother sent me a link to the “The Great Pop vs. Soda Controversy” along with this comment:
When I got to BYU I found it funny that one of my Rocky Mountain friends referred to Soda as Pop. I said, “Pop is what you call your dad!” He said, “Soda is a cracker.” Apparently some folks mapped out the colloquial use of Soda vs. Pop and it proves that both my friend and I were right!
The Pop vs. Soda site includes an interactive version of the map below, as well as a more sophisticated rendering of the data by county. You can also submit your own data. The most recent map on the site dates back to 2003, but a stats table appears to be updated daily.
Comments
I don’t know anyone in NC that refers to either Soda or Pop. Mostly you say “Drinks” or “Colas” or the specific drink you prefer which is mostly Pepsi not Coke. I went to work in Missouri at a Hospital and a visitor asked me where the soda machine was. I said “I’m not aware of any sewing machines.” This went on for a while. Disgusted as he walked away murmuring “Man! I wanted a Coke”…then I called out to him and said..”Oh, a coke machine!”
Posted by Carol J. on February 16, 2010 at 11:48 am