Mahmut Agbaht

Short presentation

I received my PhD in Semitic languages from Uppsala University in 2023. My work focuses on language documentation and oral literature, especially the Arabic varieties of southern Turkey and northern Lebanon, producing grammatical descriptions and studying oral poetry traditions. More recently, I have begun exploring connection between language, poetry and ecology.

Alongside research, I engage in outreach through public talks and creative workshops on language, poetry and environmental awareness.

Keywords

• Semitic languages; Arabic dialectology; language documentation; oral literature; oral poetry; language endangerment; ecolinguistics; southeastern Mediterranean; Arabic varieties spoken in Antioch/Hatay (southern Turkey) and Akkar (northern Lebanon).

Biography

I received my PhD in Semitic Languages from Uppsala University in 2023, with a dissertation on the Arabic dialect of Shaykhtaba (northern Lebanon). I double-majored in Arabic Language and Literature and Linguistics, and received my M.A. in 2014 at the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Ankara University. My academic background also includes study exchanges and research stays at Heidelberg University. I have conducted fieldwork in several locations in Hatay (southern Turkey) and Akkar (northern Lebanon).

Beyond academia, I have been active in public outreach, organizing talks, cultural events, and workshops in Sweden, Turkey, and Germany. My work seeks to bridge research and community engagement, promoting linguistic diversity, cultural heritage, and environmental awareness.

Media

Translator and linguistic advisor for the documentary Finnên (2012), short-listed at TRT Documentary Awards 2013 and Baghdad International Film Festival 2013.