Re: Celtic and Afro-Asiatic?

R A Brown wrote:

"12) Prepositional periphrastic: BE + Prep + VN, e.g.,
      "He is at singing"  [TEONAHT'S  "she is with singing"]

In any case, is this a _Semitic_ trait? I am not aware of this."

One could argue that the "infinitive construct" in Biblical Hebrew belongs
to this category, particularly in connection with b- or k- to express time-
determinations (which need to be translated into temporal clauses in
English).  This, however, is unique to Hebrew; as Steg mentioned, Hebrew
innovated its infinitives.

"Are periphrastic verbal construction common in Semitic languages?"

Actually, there are some constructions in Akkadian and Mandaic which might
be considered light verbal constructions; the verbal element is usually
the verb "to do" or "to hit."  These are generally identified
as "idiomatic expressions," and are usually attributed to various
substrate influences.  There are also a few such constructions in Arabic
with 9'araba, IIRC.  There are tons in Neo-Mandaic, but those are calqued
upon Persian for the most part.

Roger Mills wrote:

"Granted, the Phoenicians were intrepid seamen, and might well have sailed
beyond the Pillars of Hercules-- IIRC, however, the Greeks and the Romans
didn't. But I suspect a direct Phoenician trade between Britain and the
Med. would be unlikely, given what we do know about early trading
networks."

They did, in fact, sail beyond the Pillars of Hercules - some of the
earliest Phoenician colonies were planted on the Atlantic coast of Africa
and Europe - Tanjier, Lixus, Cadiz, Tartessos, etc.  There was a trading
entrepot at Mogador which has been excavated - it was in use for
centuries, but occupied only seasonally IIRC.  It's not unlikely that the
Phoenicians were in Madeira and perhaps even the Canaries, but
archaeological evidence has not yet been found.

All of the evidence for Phoenician ventures to the British Isles is
textual, not archaeological.  R.A.S. Macallister (who excavated Gezer),
published a scarab found in an archaeological context in Ireland but
concluded that it was probably brought there by a crusader.

Mind you, I mention these things not because I agree with Vennemann's
theories, but simply because I have the information close at hand and felt
that it bears mentioning.