Pop/Soda/Coke

[Natalie Maynor]

George Thompson wrote:

> Does this mean that ginger ale and root beer and Dr. Pepper are
> also called "coke"?  If so, how do they specify that they want or
> are drinking a cola drink?

I've never thought about having the need to specify "a cola drink."
How is that specified in other parts of the country?  I guess one
could say "a cola drink."

>  If Southerners were to be given a Dr.
> Brown's Cel-Ray, what would they call it, other than a vile
> concoction?

I'm not familiar with Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray, but if it's what some
people call "soda" or "pop," it's what most Southerners would
call "coke."  This doesn't mean that one can't specify a kind
of drink, especially these days when there's so much to specify:
diet, caffeine-free, etc.  If I want a ginger ale, I ask for a
ginger ale.  But if I'm walking down the street with a friend who
says, "I'm thirsty -- let's stop somewhere and get a coke," I do
not assume that he is naming the particular brand of drink he wants.
   --Natalie Maynor (maynor at ra.msstate.edu)