I have noticed that in different places in the US soda is called something different.

For instance in some places they call everything coke. At a restaurant you'll ask for a Coke and the waiter will ask you what kind.

In other places its pop.(I think thats a midwest term)

In Colorado its soda.

Still others its Soda Pop.

And in some places its a Soft Drink.

'Pop' was the term that was used in south-western Ontario when I was growing up. I don't know if this is still the case, have been away a long time!

You know that this is one of the words that you can tell where a person is from?
There are several.
(I'm a Californian, I say soda. No matter where I go! If you ask for pop, I'll call my dad!)
Coffee is one of them. It almost comes out corfee on the East Coast of the States.
"You wanna cuppa corfee?" (lips projected somewhat).
Warter is water. Or Watta.

And in Wisconsin, a water fountain used to be called a bubbler! Do they still say this? We've got someone here from up there don't we?
Then we have the you-all, you-guys, youse guys, and in Hawaii, "you-folks"
I don't think I've forgotten one, but I might have.
I have a really neutral accent in English, American English I mean. And yet you'd probably be able to tell I was from the West. I don't have a broadcaster's midwestern prononciation. And over here, I have to be careful to enunciate as I teach.
I can tell most people's accents by certain words too.
For foreigners we have the same accent, until, and I mean until, they encounter someone with a more pronounced accent than mine!

I have a Spanish friend, a professional man in his sixties, who speaks excellent English. He is, however, often confused by pronunciation, due to the fact that around here we have residents (and tourists) from all parts of the UK as well as several Americans plus the odd Canadian (myself and one or two others).

He has often asked why I pronounce a word one way, someone from Liverpool another way, Londoners yet another etc etc. We won't even go into Scotsmen!! My friend wants to know which is 'correct' and I never know what to tell him. (I have trouble understanding the Scouse accent myself!)

Accents truly intrigue me. I love all the little nuances from one to another. I especially love the British accent. Right now their is a pilot from the RAF attached to our unit and I love talking to him for just that reason.

One of my favorites is the term holiday. For Americans a holiday is one day usually a nationally observed day. But the Brits Aussies and probably a few others use it the way we use the word vacation.

I'm the same FallAir, love hearing the differences in accents. Australia doesn't tend to have the diversity of regional accents like USA and England etc does, except for in a few words and a couple of pronunciations.

We have softdrinks.

Another one that changes from country to country is what I call lollies, the British would call sweets and the Americans candy.

spanishliz...it's still "pop" in southwestern Ontario...though I'm in BC a long time now! But my twin's still there! "Soda" was always American to me.

Speaking of "lollies" (which we'd call "suckers"-gross, eh?) and the different terms ...what are "french fries" where you are? Some countries call them chips? ...and I've never known if British crisps are cold & skinny "in the bag potato chips", but I think so!

Why are British sausages "bangers"? They are, aren't they?
...and turnips are 'neeps'?

Sorry, I have to make a sandwich or something...are sandwiches international? Just the plain old, plain old bread with something slapped in between? I seem to remember having a difficult time finding one in the airport at Cagliari!

*rumble rumble*....

Lefois

You're right about crisps.

Broadly speaking, chips is the British for French fries. But in fast food places like McDonalds Brits will ask for fries. Traditional British chips tended to be thicker and greasier than American fries, and some people now reserve "chips" for the old-fashioned British type that are still sold in our fish and chip shops.

I think "bangers" probably goes back to the time when sausages had skins (usually made from animal guts). If you didn't prick the skin (and sometimes even if you did), the meat would burst through the skin with a bang.

Neeps is the Scottish word for turnips (the traditional accompaniment to haggis). I don' think the word is used in England, even in the north where some Scotticisms can be heard.

Sandwich is a fairly international word, I think, but in the north of England they're called butties. In London we often call them sarnies.

Never realized that sandwiches were different all over! Australians have sangers!

Chips we call hot potato fried things "chips" and the potatoes in a bag "chips" also. But as Tabby Tom pointed out about McDonalds in England, we call them fries also. I still think that it is a really "forced" term. McDonald's won't tolerate anything different ... my after school job was in Maccas and I once called them chips *GASP* I was told off well and proper over this ... we were also told to correct customers if they asked for chips .. not outrightly but if they asked for "2 large chips" or whatever, we were to repeat the order and say fries instead. As the manager who told me off said "Kentucky has chips ... we have fries". ( , got out of there before the brainwashing set in )

Do they have "Supersize" in Australian McDonalds? I never went to a McDonalds while I was over there.

And where did the terms "butties" and "Sarnies" come from?? Did the term "sandwich" come first or did "butties" or "sarnies" come first??

"Sandwich" must have come first. It's traditionally supposed to be derived from an Earl of Sandwich who was so fond of gambling that he couldn't bring himself to leave the gaming table for meals, but had his servants bring him slices of meat between slices of bread. The Earl's title comes from the ancient port of Sandwich on the Kent coast. "Sarnie", I think, is just a shortening of "sandwich"

I've always thought that "butty" probably derives from "butter" because sandwiches are made with buttered bread, but I'm not sure. Just to confuse things, in Wales a butty is a workmate, particularly down the mines.

Wow Tom thanks. I always wanted to know where that term came from!!