It’s the age-old question… Pop, soda or Coke?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — We are all aware that geographical regions can play a major role in crafting ideas, beliefs and perspectives. But how large of an impact does it have on our everyday speech?
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The United States is a hodgepodge — more commonly known as a “melting pot” — of different accents, dialects and cultures spanning four separate regions: Northeast, Midwest, South and West.
Depending on where you grew up, the way you talk, write and interact with your environment can largely reflect your upbringing.
One of the easiest ways to see this is by looking at the oh-so-critical, extremely divisive and truly ground-breaking question… Are carbonated soft drinks called pop, soda or Coke?
Let’s break this down.
WHO SAYS WHAT
Discussions surrounding pop, soda and Coke have grown more and more heated online and across social media for years. Although people have taken very passionate stances, linguists say nobody is technically wrong in their word choice.
However, in a survey with almost 375,000 responses across the U.S., the pop, soda and Coke debate statistics prove that people’s environment does influence their preferred term.
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“POP”
“Pop” is predominately associated with the Midwest and originates from British Poet Robert Southey who wrote in 1812, ”A new manufactory of a nectar, between soda-water and gingerbeer, and called pop, because ‘pop goes the cork’ when it is drawn.”
Out of the almost 375,000 people who took part in the survey, approximately 140,000 voted “pop” as the correct name for carbonated soft drinks. Within that subset of “pop” voters, almost 94,000 were from the Midwest.
The states in the Midwest with the most “pop” votes were Michigan, Illinois and Ohio. However, out of the 12 Midwest states, two chose “soda” as their preferred term: Missouri and Wisconsin.
“SODA”
“Soda” is the most common term describing soft drinks in the U.S., according to the survey. Its origins date back to the 18th century when soda water — also known as carbonated water — was created. The term “soda” derives from the sodium found in the water.
With almost 160,000 votes in favor of this word, most are traced back to the West and the Northeast (approximately 86,000) with a few states contributing to that total from some of the other regions.
The states with the largest amount of votes for “soda” are California with a little over 20,000, New York with almost 17,000, and Pennsylvania with over 11,000 (even though the majority of its votes were in favor of “pop.”)
“COKE”
Although “pop” and “soda” are more commonly used in the U.S., equating to over half of the survey’s votes, “Coke” — as in “Coca-Cola” — is also a term used to describe soft drinks, primarily in the South.
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According to the chart, almost 45,000 of the 56,000 votes in favor of “Coke” were from states in the South, with nine of the 17 southern states ranking it as number one.
QUIZ: WHAT OTHER TERMS ARE DEBATED?
As mentioned previously, the U.S. has four separate regions, each containing its own cultures and perspectives. However, these regions have been simplified into nine divisions with Missouri landing in the southernmost part of the Midwest’s West North Central area.
Missouri’s dialect is a blend of Midland American English, Southern American English, Inland Northern American English and North-Central American English depending on your location in the state. This means the debates regarding the proper terms and phrases in Missouri are even more random than those of carbonated beverages.
Here is a short poll of some widely debated slang words and everyday phrases you may recognize — choose your answers down below (responses are limited):
Before you start quizzing everyone on the terms and phrases they commonly say, make sure to join the debate on our social pages and let us know at FOX4 Kansas City what sayings are unique to you on Facebook, Instagram or X.
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