Interesting.

As a kid growing up in downstate Illinois, we had our own lexicon for soft drinks.

Soda usually referred to an "ice cream soda," and there were many variants on these kinds of concoctions, such as the "black cow," which was a root beer float.

I wasn't big on these kinds of drinks so my recollections are fuzzy ones, but I seem to recall that there was some difference between a "float" and an "ice cream soda." I think a float was just a scoop of ice cream plopped into a tall glass of soda water or other carbonated beverage, where an "ice cream soda" was a more involved concotion with two scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry on top. There was a big difference in the vessels in which these beverages were served.

They're probably all gone now, but in those days there were small groceries and pharmacies on many corners, and most of the latter had what I think we called "soda fountains," a counter where you could order your favorite soft drink.

Of course, you would never get a bottle of pop at a soda fountain, but you could get a "coke," and some people used that product name as a generic handle for all such carbonated beverages.

We also had malts, shakes, green rivers and so on, but for bottled carbonated beverages, most of us kids at the time called them "sodys" or "sody pop," which is probably a regionalism or perhaps slang from an earlier era where words ending in 'a' or 'ia' have the final vowel(s) replaced by a 'y', as in "Californy."

There's a story about William Jennings Bryan travelling by train across the Midwest which relates to this. As the train approached a town on the Illinois River, the conductor bellowed: "Next stop: Peory," whereupon the great orator leaped from his seat, and, in a loud, firm voice, precisely pronounced all four syllables.

At any rate, I seldom drink carbonated beverages these days, but when I do, I always ask for a "sody."

sp

ps. I spent some time in upstate NY, and I recall that there were a few odd regionalism there too, such as "hamburg" instead of "hamburger." I'm sure there were others but they elude me now.