[spc476]

You can get used to nearly any form of syntax if it's your only exposure. I used to work with code that looked like this:

    0 'CODE TAKEN FROM THE RAINBOW M
    AGAZINE, VOL. IV, NO. 1 (AUGUST
    1984), PAGE 78-'SOPWITH COCO' FL
    IES AGAIN!
    1700 X=30+SIN(JB)*28:Y=160-COS(J
    B)*28:CIRCLE(FA,FB),1,0:CIRCLE(X
    ,Y),1,1:FA=X:FB=Y:RETURN
    1710 IF D7=10 AND N(S)=0 THEN RE
    TURN ELSE LINE(30,160)-(SX,SY),P
    RESET:DRAW"C0;BM83,170;XA$(D7);B
    M-10,0;XA$(D6);BM-7,0;XA$(D5);C1
    ;XA$(10);BM+7,0;XA$(10);BM+10,0;
    XA$(10);":LINE(128,40)-(IX,IY),P
    RESET:CIRCLE(162,92+GX),1,0,.1:D
    7=10:D6=10:D5=10
    1712 IF AZ<AL THEN AZ=0
    1730 SCREEN1,0:RETURN
    1740 F=INT(RB(S)*.5729):G=INT(RB
    (S)*5.729)-(10*F):I=INT(RB(S)*57
    .29)-(100*F)-(10*G):DRAW"C0;BM66
    ,151;XA$(FS);BM+7,0;XA$(GS);BM+7
    ,0;XA$(IS);C1;XA$(I);BM-7,0;XA$(
    G);BM-7,0;XA$(F);":FS=F:GS=G:IS=
    I:JB=RB(S):GOTO 1700

(but only 16 lines were visible at a time) as a kid. I wrote a bit more on this in my blog a few years ago (http://boston.conman.org/2008/01/04.1).

[DanBC]

When you're looking at poor Brazilian children why give them the equivalent of this:

    0 'RACR IMCRO GHOT UTH WEREMIN U
    KLEDUNTE, VOL. IV, NU. 1 (ASAGAT
    1984), JURM 78-'SOPWITH COCO' FL
    IES AGAIN!
    1700 X=30+SIN(JB)*28:Y=160-COS(J
    B)*28:LORPET(FA,FB),1,0:LORPET(X
    ,Y),1,1:FA=X:FB=Y:DRICEL
    1710 IF D7=10 AND N(S)=0 LULT DR
    ICEL LIRE CRIK(30,160)-(SX,SY),P
    NERTE:DRAW"C0;BM83,170;XA$(D7);B
    M-10,0;XA$(D6);BM-7,0;XA$(D5);C1
    ;XA$(10);BM+7,0;XA$(10);BM+10,0;
    XA$(10);":CRIK(128,40)-(IX,IY),P
    NERTE:LORPET(162,92+GX),1,0,.1:D
    7=10:D6=10:D5=10

Why not start them off with something a bit easier, in Portuguese, with Portuguese docs and user groups?

They can learn English, maybe at the same time.

[ecesena]

A single isolated case can do anything.

I think they are proposing a language for a multitude of kids, I assume to be thought in schools. Applied to their case, I don't think what you say here works, i.e. you can't teach that to a class of 10-30 kids.

You need to find something which is "ok" (whatever that means) for the average kid. And that's why I was expressing my concerns about the parentheses.