>in parts of the South, "a coke" is a carbonated beverage, regardless of brand
I'm curious, is something like Fanta or (carbonated) Ice Tea ever considered a coke?
To me—not a native english speaker—coke means Coca Cola Coke, Pepsi Coke, or Dr Pepper. That is, it's synonymous with the French word 'coca' or the Dutch word 'cola'.
>>It is also very sweet, unless you ask for unsweet.
I noticed that in Wisconsin tea is sweetened or unsweetened; whereas, when I was in Florida the tea was sweet or unsweet.
I also noticed that they make Old Fashions with whiskey rather than brandy. And if you order a brandy sour, it can take the bartender up to 5 minutes to find some Brandy... While attempting to be polite I learned they do not know what gesundheit means either.
I can't answer your original question, but I can say that there does exist the word "cola" in English. This is the "correct" word for the sort of drink that both Coca Cola and Pepsi are.
Fanta is one kind of coke that I didn't see much growing up.
My brother and I used to argue about whether Orange Fanta counted as a coke. He thought it wasn't, because it was orange soda and not cola. I thought it was, because it was sugary carbonated soda.
My wife refers to them all as soda or pop. The industrial name for them all is "soft drink", which I think means they don't have alcohol in them.
You are right, its used for alcoholic beverages and non alcoholic beverages so context is key. Ive never encountered a problem with any confusion. Usually when its used, its clear whether alcohol is meant.
Alcohol:
"Were going out for drinks"
"We have a few drinks with dinner"
Non-Alcohol (Coke/Pop/Soda)
"We got some drinks at the gas station on the way over"
"Will you get me a drink while you are in the kitchen?"
"We have drinks in the fridge"
I think most people that use it would answer "Coke" if asked because thats what southerners are supposed to say, but informally "drink" gets used quite often.
there are two types of iced tea in the south and this is how you order them: (sweet) tea where the 'sweet' is optional and: tea, unsweetened where the waitress gives you a funny look.
I remember I was 10 or 11 the first time I ordered iced tea and it came sweet- I thought their machine had broke in the most disgusting manner possible.
I'm curious, is something like Fanta or (carbonated) Ice Tea ever considered a coke?
To me—not a native english speaker—coke means Coca Cola Coke, Pepsi Coke, or Dr Pepper. That is, it's synonymous with the French word 'coca' or the Dutch word 'cola'.