The linguistics of terror: a content analysis of suicide notes and martyr manifestos

Despite growing interest in the motivations and psychological profiles of suicide attackers, few empirical studies have examined their personal writings and recordings. The present study seeks to uncover linguistic trends in the manifestos, suicide notes, and recorded speeches of suicide attackers. Using the content analysis software, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, the author seeks to uncover patterns within these documents and establish identifying trends across geography, attack type, and/or group affiliation. Given the framework provided by Institutional Anomie Theory, linguistic trends are expected to arise in relation to these factors and variations in societal anomie. This study also aims to add to previous literature regarding attacker attitudes and incentives more broadly using aggregated sample data.