One bottle pop

Go on, sing. You all know it.

Or for those of you who honestly don't... knock yourself out.

Oh, and do I need to say that the pointless photo is completely pointless? No? Hey, you're catching on.

It amuses me/drives me nuts to see just how heated people on the internet (and, sadly, in real life as well) can get about what to call soft drinks. If you want to start a pages-long argument, go to almost any chat room or bulletin board and "innocently" ask if it should be pop or soda. People honestly get passionate about it. I've seen it happen more than once.

Pop. Soda. What's the difference? It's going to rot your stomach no matter what you call the stuff.

Nowadays, of course, the debate gets a regional or even international flavour because of the internet. While the majority of North Americans yell at each other over pop and soda, pity the poor Brit who chimes in with fizzy drink or the Southerner who suggests coke...

Incidentally, I get a bit ticked off by people who razz those who call soft drinks cokes. Does anyone get jumped on for calling a tissue a kleenex or a vacuum flask a thermos? Didn't think so.

The whole thing even had its own survey. And you just know that things are important when they have their own surveys, don't you?

Don't get me wrong. I find the different usages interesting; just not earth-shattering. Language fascinates me, and a big part of what fascinates me is how a single language grows, adapts, and evolves as it spreads. It's cool. It's entertaining. The part I don't get is why it all seems to MATTER SO MUCH to some people.

It's almost a religion, picking apart others' usages. "You say pop? Well, you're obviously not a believer (otherwise known as one of us)." It's almost as big a sin as calling grilling barbecuing.

Which, actually, we all do in this neck of the woods.

And we drink pop, for the most part.

And all that really does in the end is give you a hint as to where I'm from. It doesn't brand me as right, or ignorant, or anything but an Albertan (which in some circles brands me in a different way, but that's a topic for another time).

Regionalisms are fun if you look at them only as examples of how language is used in different areas. If you use them as a reason to tease -- or worse, a reason to get ticked off -- then... well, I'd suggest that maybe you need to grow up a little.

In the meantime, I think maybe I'll go get some milk.

Not a huge fan of the fizz, myself.



And if you're wondering if this is what I was planning to talk about yesterday, you can keep wondering. It's not like I'm going to tell you at this point in the post. Surprised? I wouldn't be.