Someone passed this graphic along to my wife, and I, in turn, feel compelled to pass it on. It illustrates the predominate term used in various parts of the nation for carbonated beverages. What struck me is how similar the pattern is to other, less trivial local variations, such as religiosity (hence, the title of the post), illegitimate birth rates, divorce rates, and…well, you name it, you’ll see pretty much the same pattern reflected in this map.
I don’t need to tell my readers that once again our region comes out ahead. For any folks from the red area that may come across this blog, the correct terminology is “soda”, followed by the almost equally correct “pop”. “Other”, whatever that may be, has to beat out “Coke” as a generic name for soda.
So even on such a trivial issue, we see the country breaks down in a somewhat meaningful way. Of course there are anomalies. Utah has no business being blue. At first, I thought to be reassured by what looked like red in what I believe are the more populated regions of that benighted state, but on closer inspection those regions actually appear to be purple, indicating a lack of data. Maybe Mormons aren’t allowed to drink soda, or, they aren’t allowed to drink what they would, if allowed, probably call Coke. We must also wonder about Southwestern Illinois and Eastern Missouri. I mean, Missouri was a border state, so while it wouldn’t surprise me to see the ramparts defended by a lighter shade of blue, it does indeed surprise and delight that the Show Me State has taken a strong stand with “Soda”.
UPDATE: a commenter (always a surprise, and always appreciated) asks how I could know that the term “soda” is most correct, followed by “pop”. Well, apart from those New England prejudices upon which I at first solely relied and which have never yet steered me wrong, I find support by referring to my Oxford Dictionary of English. Yes, I will let the Brits decide, as it was their language first, before we improved it. In that infallible tome the terms “soda” and “pop” are defined as sweet carbonated beverages, while the uncapitalized term “coke” refers to that stuff that runs through your brain. Nary a mention of carbonated beverages, though the capitalized term refers to Coca Cola only. For those who prefer an American authority, I refer them to the American Heritage Dictionary, 5th edition, which agrees its English cousin.
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