I cut my teeth with two programming languages, Smalltalk and Delphi (basically Turbo Pascal for Windows), and was actually just screwing around with Free Pascal (http://freepascal.org/) on a nostalgia kick.

I ended up learning Delphi mostly by happenstance--I ended up getting gifted a free copy of Delphi 3, whereas VisualBasic and Visual C++ were comparatively expensive at the time--but I am incredibly, incredibly glad that I learned that first. Where C++'s grammar is convoluted, confusing, and contradictory, Turbo Pascal's and Delphi's manage to be very simple and straightforward with comparable power. I spent a lot less time coming to terms with syntax, and a lot more time familiarizing myself with machine code, calling conventions, and libraries.

Having a straightforward grammar doesn't just help the compiler use less space. It helps your brain use less space on raw syntax.