Posted by Jonathan Labaree on February 09, 2005 at 02:55:10 from 24.198.196.209 user JLabaree.
In Reply to: Re: "soda" has regional meanings posted by Pam Adams on February 09, 2005 at 00:25:48:
I agree with Pam, people in the South do indeed use "coke" to mean a generic soft drink and will go on to request a specific brand if necessary (although Coke is so prevelent in the South, that it's often the obvious choice).
It's hard to know what the "other" is in VA and SC. A look at the statistics gathered in the on-line survey (used to create the map that Jon refers to in his link), suggests "soft drink" is a pretty common alternative in these areas, but without first-hand knowledge, I'm just guessing.
You could come up with a similar map reflecting preference for words for the large sandwiches made from long rolls sold in pizza places and sandwich shops. I grew up calling them “grinders”, but other terms such as “hoagie”, “hero” (from "gyro"?), “subs” (as in submarine) or “poor-boy” are also out there.