Re: minimalistic grammar

Mathias wrote:
>...and broken Indonesian if you need something workable :-)

Well, "broken" Indonesian (do you mean Melayu pasar?) is certainly minimal
though overly elliptical at times, I think.  And the possessive construction
(heard in in Jakarta dialect and common all over eastern Indonesian, where
Ml/BI is really a 2nd language) is IMVHO quite aesthetically unappealing and
rather jingly--

saya punya bapak 'my father'
I       have  father

saya punya bapak punya kuda 'my father's horse'
I     have    father   have   horse

(as opposed to more standard bapak saya or bapakku; kuda bapak saya or kuda
bapakku)