Soda v. Pop

Argus Leader:

Whether you drink pop or soda with your hot dog or wiener may depend on what part of the country you're from.

And the shoes on your feet might be sneakers, tennis shoes or in Canada, "runners."

"When we have students come in, I sometimes can pin down where they're from by their accent and by the terms they use," said Tim Jones, English professor at Augustana College.

From the long "O" of Minnesota and the Red River Valley and the Canadian influence of northern states, to the creeping Southern accent in south Kentucky and West Virginia and the flatter vowel sounds of Texas, he has an ear for regions.

"I'm from Michigan, where we have uncles and 'ants,' while most students here have aunts with the 'aw' sound," he said.

The "submarine sandwich" is a "hoagie" in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Jones said, while it's a "hero" in New York City and a "grinder" in New England. Not long ago it also could be a "Dagwood," named after the comic-strip character's practice of piling the fixin's high.

Others notice differences, too.

South Dakota has lots of wild dog-like animals called coyotes (ky-OATs), said Ranger Tony DeToy. He knows it's someone calling from the eastern United States when he hears the extra "E" sound at the end of the word.

"We hear from out-of-state people who want to come hunt prairie dogs and coyotes, but those from Pennsylvania or other eastern states often put the extra 'E' on the end, for 'ky-oat-E," said DeToy, who is district ranger for the 116,000-acre public Fort Pierre National Grasslands in central South Dakota.