How about soft drink?

I call it super terrific happy fizz beverage

but I'm Japanese soooo

Over here in the UK, "Pop" is a generic name little kids use for any fizzy drink when they don't say "Coke" (meaning Pepsi or Coke-a-cola), "Fanta" (fizzy orange), "7-up" (lemonade) or some other brand-named drink.

This largely depends on where you grew up in the U.S. Not sure about other countries.

I use either pop or soda. I know in the south east they usually say coke even if it is Pepsi.

Here in New York we say Soda.

I don't think I've heard anybody around here call a soda a "pop". Sounds old fashion.

http://tastyresearch.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/popvssodamap.png

You're welcome.

Soda and pop most likely came from the older soda pop.

In Minnesota it's pop.

Soda in my part of PA. Lehigh valley, not sure what they call it in philly.

The map will definitely show you.

http://popvssoda.com:2998/

Great map, awesome demographics. Notice how it is coke near the biggest coke plant (atl)

That map was also cool when I linked to it :confused:

I can solve this debate.
It's simple (I am from Georgia)
If you come here and ask for a coke you will get the reply "What kind?"
Pop sounds like you are asking for dad.
Soda will get you soda water...

I can understand why some call it 'soda' and some call it 'pop,' but I don't get calling Pepsi Coke at all.

Isn't that like asking for a Snickers and getting a Milky-Way?

Californians say "soda".

where i grew up, people called it soda but where my extended family lived (and where i got to drink it, never any pop at my house as akid) my gramma and such called it pop, so i call it pop. but i've also lived in the south a lot and don't mind calling it coke. it's like saying "kleenex" instead of "tissue". i really liked that map that people posted, thanks!

and aren't there a lot of canadians on here? what do yall call it up there? what about in australia?

Hahaha, the map was awesome. Canadians call it pop for the record.

I'm with aum
soda!

Cola's are the only thing where "coke" has become the generic term in the south. It's like facial tissues. Most people say pass a kleenex, but that, too, is a brand name, as is making a xerox copy instead of a phototcopy or saying "print it on the laserjet" when they mean somebody else's (not HP's) laser printer. First to market gets the generic name...

Oh, and in KY and SW Ohio, it is mostly pop, but you'll hear coke in KY sometimes (for colas), and we have enough transplants that you also hear soda.

in Maryland everyone says soda

irish people would never call it pop, or soda.
on the other hand if i order 7-up in almost any place they will serve me sprite.

so i guess it's not that different to the UK.
mostly you'd talk about coke/orange, (fanta or fizzy orange) or whatever specific drink you're talking about (mmm irn-bru ) That said, soft drinks does cover the range of all of these. (or maybe imply mixers if you're just buying them for a party, which is more common among certain aged members of our population.)

I'm from Los Angeles and am accustomed to calling it soda, however, I now live in Chicago and the use of pop causes some sort of gut-repulsion in me that I can't explain.

I'm close enough to Atlanta Ga. that it's Coke. Some even use the term Co-cola. As we tend to swallow the odd extra syllable in our dialect.

Sometimes Co-coler (both o's are long and the e has the schwa sound) is used too.

from my experience, all of michigan calls it pop. lol to me, soda sounds old fashioned.

Coke..or Soda ......that is what texans say

Hey Crazy where are you?
Do you ever get any FtF games going?

In Texas we usually say "coke" only if specifically referring to a brown carbonated beverage. like "what kind of coke do you want?" would mean, which form of carbonated beverage do you want.

however when i just say "i'll have a coke." or, "i was drinking coke when..." that refers to coca-cola in most cases, because if it wasn't coke most people i know would just say the name of the beverage i.e. "i was drinking sprite and then..."

and usually we just say "drink" when ordering things anyway. at the fast-food counter:
"And a small drink."
"What kind of drink?"
"Coke."

I mean that's my observation anyway, and I've lived in Houston and Austin.