Of soda, pop, and "coke"

The generic use of "coke" in the South (especially the Southeast) is a regional artifact caused by the dominance of Coca-Cola, based in Atlanta. So it's like Xerox, Dumpster, etc., identification of a dominant brand with the whole marketplace.

I wonder if Boston's lower score on the use of "soda" is not due to our diverse population but rather to the holdouts who still say "tonic." Being a native of the area, I grew up with "tonic" and thought I was switching to the American norm when I began saying "soda" instead. But according to the map, I was still being parochial. "Pop" is unthinkable to me, but it seems the most pop-ular nationwide.

In regard to the Boston question: maybe because of that great underdog, "tonic"? Without over thinking it, I'm pretty sure I and my (Boston-bred, South Shore-living) relatives use that term fairly often. I think...

I've frequently heard soda called "soder" in Italian American neighborhoods (where I'm from) in New England. Where does that come from?

We called them "soft drinks" where I grew up in the south, in a county that shows very strong for "Coke" in that map. Or as we pronounced it, "soft drank". Strange. I couldn't believe my ears when I went to New York for college and heard the term "soda"--to me that was what you called "soda water." "Tonic" is a charming local term that I almost never hear anymore in the Boston area.