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Welcome to Root Words Podcast. I'm Michelle Root and on this podcast we will

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embark on a journey of self-discovery while appreciating the complexities of

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language through etymology, the study of words. Each episode we will explore the

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origins of a specific word and how it can influence our spiritual, mental,

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physical, and emotional well-being. I want to help us dive into the

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intersections of language and life so we can contribute to a common understanding.

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Let's uncover the power of language together. One word at a time. This is Root Words.

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Welcome to Root Words and this is our first introductory episode. I wanted you

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to get a peek behind the inspiration of this podcast and how it all manifested.

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It's important to me that we embark on this journey together, building a strong

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foundation right from inception as I don't claim to be an expert on

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linguistics and etymology. I will be learning right alongside you, expanding

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our understanding and relationship to each word we choose to explore. As we

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become more entrenched in the power of this linguistic experience, I hope to

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evoke a sense of personal activation within you. It is imperative that we

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understand how something we use daily to connect is so immensely overlooked and

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underappreciated. You have the ability to transform your whole reality once you

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harness the truth of the words you speak into existence. I've always had a

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complex relationship with language and the spoken word. As a young child of a

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multicultural household, I was always being confronted by strangers over my

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dialect as I didn't look how I sounded, which never made any sense outside of

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the stereotypical connotations held by this statement. I was always fascinated

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with the saying, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt

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me. I knew at my core this was partially incorrect. As the bullying I endured in my

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younger years definitely shaped the vision I had of myself in a negative way.

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It absolutely did hurt to hear others mocking the way I spoke or looked. Words

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influenced my psyche on such a deep level, I genuinely felt like I was

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abnormal for how intensely I could feel the vitriol and energy of others through

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their words. I paid attention to how their body language sometimes didn't match

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the vocabulary being used and how I could intuitively just hear their true

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intentions despite the disconnect in their words. Alternatively, when I receive

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praise and positive encouragement, the endorphin serotonin boost I receive is

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equally as strong. I feel seen and acknowledged by the individuals I'm

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speaking to. Just by their simple word choice and tone alone, I'm able to feel

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validated in my whole existence. Words can assist in carving a pathway to future

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successes for those who know how to transmute the energy of language.

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Self affirmations through constant repetition can solidify either a

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positive or negative way of being within us. It reminds me of water and how its

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gentle, consistent, yet destructive nature can create erosion over time, forming

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new streams for it to flow through. Some being beneficial to those around it,

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while others face levels of destruction by its creation. I think it's

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interesting how both words and water flow when unrestricted, yet given

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direction and purpose. In addition to positive and negative self affirmations,

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we often hear those of religious background speaking the word when

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reflecting on the power their teachings can emanate. I believe that all language

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when used with intention has the power to hurt or heal. Honestly, that realization

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has been a huge factor in the creation of this project. In addition to the

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toxicity of social media, which honestly is a whole beast of a topic in of

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itself, I see language being used daily that fractures our spirit piece by

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piece. I'm stupid, I'm broke, or some other disparaging comet. Even if you don't

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share in the notion that our thoughts shape our reality, why would you actively

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engage in your own self-deprecation? Now I don't have an internal monologue like

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most, but others I've spoken to that do have stated that they are subjected to

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negative comments 100% of the time, all day, every day. How heartbreaking to feel

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like your biggest bully. So what's the solution? What can we do to try and

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change this dynamic? How can we better utilize language to empower us rather

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than destroy us? Well, in my opinion, the first step is education. It's helpful to

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learn the origins of words, their meanings, pronunciations, and what their

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modern-day relevancy is. In each episode, I will reference either Webster's

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dictionary or dictionary.com for traditional definitions. I will also at

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times utilize urbandictionary.com, as sometimes a word's social impact and

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relevance is way more important than the traditional definitions. Secondly, let's

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learn how to utilize these words in our everyday conversations. If you can empower

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your language, you're able to open doorways that otherwise would have been

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close to you. Let's also try and identify other variations of commonly used words

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to help us expand our vocabulary. It's a simple difference between angry versus

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raging or happy versus exuberant. Refining a word's meaning helps us better

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convey the scene we're trying to paint. For this, I will utilize the source.com.

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Each source will be cited in the show notes for reference. Third and lastly, I

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want to explore potential spiritual, emotional, or mental impacts our word

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may have on the human experience. Does it make you recoil in grief like the word

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lonely does for me? Or does it feel soft and safe like the word luxurious? We may

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have words that affect each of us differently, so it will be very interesting

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to hear feedback on how it varies. I absolutely hate the word moist, which is

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strangely a commonly despised word. We'll get into that later. And I love the

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word serendipity. Ultimately, how does it affect you personally? I also want to

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address an obvious error in the title in the podcast. Well, it's not technically

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an error. It was done intentionally to differentiate between another podcast

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with a similar name. And the Z represents an alternative perspective, a way to look

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at things from outside the box versus traditionally. I know the alternative

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spelling will not reduce the podcast's authenticity. And I hope to bring in all

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sorts of people here from the young student just understanding the

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complexities of language to the expert linguist or the elder millennial like me,

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who has to now translate the language of our children to communicate. If you have

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any suggestions on words you'd like me to cover, please send them to root words

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podcast at gmail.com or you can join the Facebook group root words podcast. And

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don't forget for both words with a Z. I want to thank you for joining me today

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and look out for our next episode where our first word will be existentialism.

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Join me in deciphering the meanings behind the word and how the ever popular

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existential crisis brought this podcast to fruition. I'll see you next time and

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thank you for joining me on root words.