Decades ago, when you wanted a soft drink in Southie, Dorchester and West Roxbury, you’re best bet was to call it “tonic.” But now, referring to “soda” as “tonic” is quickly going by the wayside in Massachusetts, according to a report in the Boston Globe.

Additionally, only 22 percent of students at Boston Latin School said in a survey that they even knew the word “tonic” only in reference to soda, and almost all the students said they knew it through an older generation – not from actual use.

“Tonic is something that was centered in Boston, and was part of the Boston culture, but it faded out slowly as people are less affected by the pull of the center,’’ George Goebel, an assistant editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English tell the Globe. He points out that Massachusetts was never exclusively a “tonic” state, with the line between “tonic” and “soda” found namely in Mendon, Massachusetts.

The changing word-use is “a typical pattern,” says Goebel, and the Dictionary as an example of how different regions of the United States refer to the same item is various ways. Lauren Landry outlines the Dictionary in further detail in an earlier post, which you can check out here.

Me? The soda versus tonic argument doesn’t really affect me. After all, I’m from the Midwest, where “pop” reigns supreme.

Check out this map from PopvsSoda.com, which further details the regional words for soft drink by counties across the nation. Which do you say?