Kill Talk: Language and Military Necropolitics

by Janet McIntosh

The language used by American military personnel can be intense and confrontational, yet the relationship between language and military violence is rarely examined in depth. This groundbreaking book offers a unique perspective on how language facilitates the work of combat infantry-the state's killable killers. Through vivid ethnographic research, Janet McIntosh meticulously traces the nuances of military “kill talk” as it permeates the vast nervous system of the military, from the first exposure to yelling in Marine Corps basic training to the dark humor and nihilistic expressions found in war zones in Vietnam and the Middle East. McIntosh reveals how military trainers use language to deindividuate, toughen, and masculinize recruits, while infantry soldiers develop distinct linguistic repertoires and attitudes to suppress empathy, dehumanize and racialize the enemy, cope with loss, and dwell in a moral gray zone.

Kill Talk also addresses national debates over language use in a diverse world, exploring tensions between calls for sensitivity and restraint in military speech and the perception that these can threaten national security. The book highlights the contradictions between the rhetoric of military honor and moral integrity and the harsh, sometimes depraved, language of combatants, suggesting that these paradoxes enable military violence yet contribute to moral injury. It concludes with an exploration of veteran poets and artists who have found innovative ways to use language and other forms of expression to critique military institutions and begin the process of demilitarizing their psyches.

Genres: Nonfiction

360 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2025

Reviews

[aj · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

A thinker. I like how she does her anthropology

[Tia]

very fascinating and devastating. a lot to work through and think about which obviously pales in comparison to those who share their experiences for this research. another one i can’t recommend enough.

[P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotionally devastating critique of military necropolitics. The text, like the wars it recounts, is littered with desecrated bodies and linguistic degradations. I’m left with anger and empathy.

[Grace W · Rating 4 out of 5]

which came first chicken or egg - humanizing enemy and shift away from racist dehumanizing language

more willing to kill if they think they themselves are not human

seeing yourself as human makes it harder to do immoral things

genocides: referring to people as vermin, rats, cockroaches: extermination

body count

during wartime, us projects identities of marginalized groups (women, gay, etc.) onto enemy (stigmatized half of binary)

“don’t call them Vietnamese”

[Bryan Akin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read with great writing. Couldn't recommend more for anyone interested in linguistics, the military, or how our language shapes our thoughts and actions. Five stars,