Philosophy , Intercourse , and Suicide : Language in a Suicide Diary with Literary Overtones

Abstract

This study analyzes patterns of emotional tone and word usage in Diary of a Suicide , a 21,000-word document written by W. E. Baker in 1912-1913 that contains extensive literary, political, and philosophical references. The frequency of diary entries decreased over time, a pattern likely associated with depression and demotivation. Sentiment analysis using the Dictionary of Affect in Language indicated unusually high proportions of both Sad and Pleasant words, reflecting a combination of depressed and paradoxically positive emotional tones previously observed in suicide-related writings. Linguistic analysis showed that the diarist overused first-person singular pronouns and underused second- and third-person pronouns, suggesting strong self-focus. He also avoided many common English function words and employed long, complex sentences. The most overused words relative to everyday English were philosophy , intercourse , and suicide . Overall, the diary’s language exhibits characteristics typical of both literary writing and documents associated with suicide.