Talk:soda pop

A few points:

1. In partial reply to "is this used outside the US?", it is not used in the UK. The equivalent British would be "fizzy drinks" or somesuch. In certain regions in the UK pop is used.
2. Is this only uncountable? Can you say "Would you like a soda pop?" as well as "Would you like some soda pop?"
3. I have changed "like better" to "like more", which is more grammatical ("like much" -> "like more", rather than "like well" -> "like better"). I don't think "like well" exists, but "like better" is common, and "like best" is very common. Any thoughts on this? I think I recall raising this point before, so apologies if this rehashing an old subject. -- Paul G 08:26, 14 May 2004 (UTC)

1. 1. US = soda,pop,sodapop, (sometimes in the south, coke)
   2. UK = fizzy drink
   3. Aus = soft drink,lemonade
2. all are countable and uncountable (a soft drink/some soft drink) but I'm not sure about fizzy drink in the uncountable

— Hippietrail 10:09, 14 May 2004 (UTC)

Definitely countable. "A soda pop" is generally "a serving of soda pop" but can also mean "a kind of soda pop" as with other uncountables (water, bark . . .) "Would you like a soda pop?" is perfectly good.

I'm not going to revert "like better", as "like more" also works, but I'll point out that "like better" is perfectly good usage among people who would say "soda pop". You'd also hear

• I don't like that very well. (granted this sounds a bit dated to my ears).
• I like this one better than that one. (perfectly fine).

In other words, it's a regional variant with sigificant overlap with "soda pop." (which is why I chose it in the first place).

Note also that "soda pop" is not universal in the US. I believe real live dialectal studies have been done on the subject, but off hand, other alternatives are

• soda
• pop
• coke (not limited to Coke(tm) or even cola drinks)

As I recall, I would generally use a brand name for a brand name beverage, with "pop" or "soda pop" reserved for generics and off-brands. But my memory might be colored by having had "pop" beaten out of me in college in favor of the so-much-more-sophisticated "soda". -dmh 14:49, 14 May 2004 (UTC)

I don't think fresh water is the correct Spanish translation either. I don't know how they would call it in Spain though Polyglot 05:41, 17 May 2004 (UTC)

Hmm . . . one wouldn't think kopstoot would be anything to drink, either :-). At least in the (Spanish-speaking) US and mexico, agua fresca generally means a sweetened drink with water and fruit juice -- tamarindo, jamaica, sandia (watermelon) etc. You can get it fresh or bottled. See http://www.novamex.com/de_mi_tierra.sstg for example.

But this isn't quite the same thing as soda pop, which is carbonated (hence the soda, and in fact soda water is carbonated but otherwise unflavored or lightly flavored water).

Usage notes are wrong.

In Wisconsin soda is used more (according to a non-scientific poll and from my personal experience.) In Washington State pop is preferred. The division does not seem to be coasts vs. midwest at all.

There are anomalies, but the general rule stands true. Tharthan (talk) 03:21, 9 February 2018 (UTC)

Soda = Float?

FTA: "Further, in the Midwest, soda means an ice cream soda (soda pop with ice cream in it), such as "I think I will have a root beer soda." (i.e. what would otherwise be known as a root beer float in non-Midwestern areas)."

I'm born and raised in central Wisconsin, never have I ever heard a root beer float referred to as a "root beer soda". I've plowed through many floats in my life and this article is the first time I've ever seen a float referred to as a 'soda'. We do have "cream soda", which is an entirely different thing. Randolphnimmer (talk) 23:34, 27 May 2019 (UTC)

I'm from Minnesota and haven't ever heard this either. — Eru·tuon 23:41, 27 May 2019 (UTC)

I'm glad that you fellows are saying that. I was afraid that "root beer float" wouldn't be understood out there.

Also, we all have cream soda. I'm surprised that it wasn't renamed out in the Midwest, honestly, since you folks seem to always shorten sodapop to its second half rather than its first for whatever reason. Tharthan (talk) 23:50, 27 May 2019 (UTC)