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Re: Dialect and register

From:Thomas R. Wier <trwier@...>
Date:Sunday, December 29, 2002, 21:28
Quoting Morgan Palaeo Associates <morganpalaeo@...>:

> Thomas R. Wier wrote: > > > Anyone saying "soda" or "pop" is likewise immediately marked as an > > outsider -- the proper word being "coke", of course. > > Are you saying that "coke" in your area is generic for any carbonated > drink, not just for cola? So, a fanta is a coke for example?
It has, in fact, become a generic term for soft-drinks, which is the higher register term. As for its precise meaning, whether it includes all carbonated drinks or just colas, that is a matter of some debate. Dr. Pepper, which is just as ubiquitous in Texas as Coke (majuscule "C"), is often called a "coke" (miniscule "c"), though no one would seriously call DP a cola. It's not clear whether something like Sprite would be called a "coke". I'll have to ask around. ========================================================================= Thomas Wier "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally, Dept. of Linguistics because our secret police don't get it right University of Chicago half the time." -- octogenarian Sheikh Zayed of 1010 E. 59th Street Abu Dhabi, to a French reporter. Chicago, IL 60637