Reminds me of Toki Pona, "The Language of Good". [1] The idea is that it consists of a small set of core words, and every other concept is expressed as compound compositions of those words.
I've never learned it, but I find it instructive as a way to think about language. That is, many words are actually derived from multiple simpler words. It is fascinating to think what those core concepts relating to the human experience and human need to use language are.