For some reason I don’t understand, people are endlessly interested in the distribution of pop v soda v coke v soft drink over space. When I was teaching undergraduates this was one topic that woke everybody up. Arguments were not uncommon, but they were also not very serious in tone.

Now I am amazed to see (via Lousy Linguist, Gene Expression and Andrew Sullivan) a whole website (The Great Pop v Soda Controversy) dedicated to mapping the pop v soda isogloss.

There are dozens and dozens of similar cases of synonyms distributed over space, but as far as I know there is no website dedicated to keeping track of sneakers v gymshoes or pancake v griddle cake or bag v sack. Something about the pop v soda thing captures the imagination, to the point that it’s being called great and controversial.

The Great Vowel Shift, yes. The Great Pop v Soda Isogloss, no.

The Ebonics issue was extremely controversial when the Oakland school board brought it to the public’s attention (and still is, of course). The use of expletives in rap is controversial. The way the current administration has out-orwellianed Orwell himself with its coinages (two highlights in a long list: Patriot Act and Death Tax) is controversial. But pop v soda?

Meh.