Pomona; or, the future of English

A probing meditation on the destiny of language, this work opens with a vivid picture of a world racing toward instant, lightning‑fast connection. It asks whether spoken words can survive in an age where thought might travel faster than sound, and whether the very act of speaking will someday be obsolete. The author weaves together reflections on scientific progress, early 20th‑century optimism, and the deep ties between language and thought, setting the stage for a lively debate about what it means to communicate.

Moving beyond speculation, the discussion turns to the forces that shape tongues—evolution, culture, and emerging technologies. It examines the allure of telepathy, the promise (and peril) of engineered human change, and how these ideas intersect with our instinct to preserve language as a framework for thinking. Listeners are invited to contemplate whether the future will amplify the voice of words or render them a relic, all while grounding the conversation in the rich history of linguistic development.