Re: Dialect and register

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