SHEESH, ANOTHER XRLQ-PATTERICO “DEBATE”: Miller’s Time thinks Xrlq and I have been having a “debate” about the whole a/an thing.

This reminds me of when Xrlq and I allegedly had a “debate” about partial-birth abortion. Everybody always thinks we’re debating, even when it seems to me like we’re agreeing.

A OR AN?: Infinite Monkey Ben gets it right. (The original discussion, with update, is here.)

POP VS. SODA VS. COKE: Via faithful reader Dean comes The Pop vs. Soda Page, graphically detailing regional variation in the use of the terms “pop,” “soda,” and “Coke.”

(Full disclosure: I am from Texas. There, when you ask for a Coke, people say: “What kind?”)

The site is full of interesting detail. A large interactive map of the country, broken down by which term is used, is here. A detailed chart of the statistical incidence of different terms in different states is here.

UPDATE: A reader named Ruth from Texas takes issue with my generalizations regarding Texas: “Texas is a big state. I’m from Texas, too. When I say I want a coke, I mean coca cola, nothing else, specially not an RC! Maybe it’s an age thing, but I suspect it’s regional. I’ve lived in Odessa as a young child, then in high school in Rockport. I also have managed to make it to 67 without liking any cola but Coca Cola, maybe it is the REAL thing.”

I’m with you, Ruth. No Pepsi, no RC — Coke!

Check out this week’s Carnival of the Vanities.