Red Ajah: Cultural Exchange Week; Cultural Corner 6: America

[Taei]

Well, that one started out as "hell of a" and eventually devolved into "hell'a" kinda like "ya'll". lol, Just people being lazy.

 

*EDIT* By the way, it's not just Nor Cal. I hear it over her in North Carolina, too. lol

[Tharengore]

SoCal has the Fist Bump for gretting...lol.

[Summer]

Yeah, I don't know how much it's used in other parts of the country... But in NorCal, we do say hella, and we also say "legit" which apparently isn't used so much elsewhere either.

[Reyn]

I've heard hella used here in nc also. I've even used it!

 

I'd love to hear some of the slang And such you all have heard that differ fro

region to region! For instance, I believe the western region says cola or pop, where the east calls it soda?

 

I just love pointing out the rough southern accent of much of my family... My granny always answers the phone "y'ello". 

[Adella]

Uhm.. I'm pretty sure West is soda and East is pop..

 

Anywhoo, Oregon is mostly a lot of desert, or the eastern and central parts are. The west coast is treeeees. It's so green and SO PRETTY, even if our ocean is freezing.. I grew up in Portland, and this area might as well be Washington for the terrain. Washington is the greenest place I have ever been, and I travel quite a bit. The evergreen state is an understatement.

 

Slang like "hella" "tight" "legit" all that stuff is here in Oregon, or at least Portland. I have to say, there are a lot of farms here, but we also have some awesome cities. I think it's kind of funny to meet people from central or eastern OR, cause they have a slightly "country" type of accent, while people from the cities don't have that.

 

I also have to say I am so proud of the west coast for their pronunciation of the English language LOL!

[Bursius]

"Pop" refers to the sound made when a bottle cap is pulled off using a bottle opener.  Obviously, this is impractical if the bottle cap is a modern "screw off" type.  Also, back in the olden days, 'pop' referred to coke or pepsi or royal crown cola, since colas were the first soft drinks.  "Soda" also refers to club soda, which is used as a mixer or alone.  Perhaps adding fruit juice to club soda created the first fruity 'soda pop'.  Yes, 'soda pop' is used on both sides of the country, so the question of which region uses which label can be answered as both regions use overlapping labels since people move around a lot and bring their preferences with them.

[Reyn]

The only term I've heard in nc (Aka the east lol) is soda. But that might also be more a difference of generations rather than regions?

[Adella]

Oh well Charis told me they say pop in Ohio.. Hmm...

[Amadine]

A friend of mine in Texas says she calls them all coke, anyone run across that one?

 

In Australia we call it "soft drink"

[Adella]

I've heard soft drink, they put that on menu's at restaurants...

[Torrie]

From my experience Ohio does say Pop. I use the term soda, but only after my husband got me hooked on it. When I lived at home with my parents I used coke for everything.

 

I have the benefit of getting both the southern culture and the northern culture. If you go up north and talk about Virginia, we are considered a southern state but if you go south, we are considered a northern state.  

 

 

I thought it was hilarious when Oprah was talking about the Michael Vic case and she called us the deep south. We are right in between the south and north.

[Karasayl]

Haha I've never heard of VA being called the Deep South :P Then again when I lived in California, when people heard I was from Virgiina they were confused why I didn't have an "accent". But then I'm from Northern VA...some of my cousins in SW VA do have thick accents though!

 

Torrie same here! My family always just used to call everything coke as well. Then again, though now and then we've said soda. Interesting.

[Millon]

I don't know what the hell happened in Buffalo then cause I hear them all hahaha. Soda, Pop, Cokes, Soda-pop. We're just confused hahaa

[Karasayl]

Yhea but you guys can be awesome like that in Buffalo, y'all (showing my VA side I suppose) gave us buffalo wings!  ;D

[Millon]

YOU KNOW IT!!!!

[Charis alAslan]

Ohio doesnt count as the "east" lols! For us who are really on the East Coast (I'm in NYC), Ohio might as well be in the mid-west. In the mid-west, they definitely do say "pop" as they do in the West, at least in Oregon, where my close friend lives. But on the Eastern coast, we use "soda" and I've even heard in some areas, they say "Coke" for everything. Like, "What kinda Coke do you want?" "Pepsi, please!" =D

[Millon]

Charis, your Avi is flippin AWESOME!! I gotta find a Panthro one! that's great. NYC huh, you ever been through Buffalo?

[Charis alAslan]

Millon, you are on crack! I already replied earlier that my hubby attended SUNY Buffalo and he intends to take me up there sometime soon, lols! =D Hey! We should totally meet up and then we can go for buffalo wings, haha! =D

 

Also, I will send you the Panthro one.... hehe....

[Millon]

Charis! That is flippin awesome. So, you ever been through Buffalo or what?

[Charis alAslan]

Is this a double-post, or you still sniffin' something?  :D

Never been. Hubby will take me soon. Third time's a charm! Lmao!

[Millon]

You should really come to Buffalo some time and try the wings. We'll go to Pearl Street brewery and will sip on the stout of the gods known as Oatmeal Stout.

[Adella]

Hmm.. Well I'm from Oregon, born and raised, but I guess Portland might as well be Washington really, cause I have never heard it called pop except when people are from different states...

 

OH! I forgot to add, Oregon has Burgerville! Nummmm

[Taei]

I've lived in California, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Carolina and in each I've heard all of those. Soda, pop, soft drink, Coke, take your pick. I think it has more to do with what the person grew up with in their house when they were kids.

[Liitha]

i been several times in the mid-west, cant say i notised what they say in regards to soda

 

i have notised some scandinavian in their expresions like oofda

 

i also met people from down south, where french influence the speach with words like momo and monno (mon non is french for but no, but has been draged together into one word :P)

 

looking forward to my next trip over (and 3rd trip this year)