Index: generic/tclPipe.c
==================================================================
--- generic/tclPipe.c
+++ generic/tclPipe.c
@@ -500,10 +500,13 @@
     int skip, lastBar, lastArg, i, j, atOK, flags, needCmd, errorToOutput = 0;
     Tcl_DString execBuffer;
     TclFile pipeIn;
     TclFile curInFile, curOutFile, curErrFile;
     Tcl_Channel channel;
+    int newSyntax = 0;
+    int subArgc;
+    const char **subArgv = NULL;
 
     if (inPipePtr != NULL) {
 	*inPipePtr = NULL;
     }
     if (outPipePtr != NULL) {
@@ -535,15 +538,24 @@
 
     lastBar = -1;
     cmdCount = 1;
     needCmd = 1;
     for (i = 0; i < argc; i++) {
+	if (newSyntax && needCmd) {
+	    needCmd = 0;
+	    continue;
+	}
 	errorToOutput = 0;
 	skip = 0;
 	p = argv[i];
 	switch (*p++) {
 	case '|':
+	    if ((i == 0) && (*p == '\0')) {
+		newSyntax = 1;
+		lastBar = 0;
+		continue;
+	    }
 	    if (*p == '&') {
 		p++;
 	    }
 	    if (*p == '\0') {
 		if ((i == (lastBar + 1)) || (i == (argc - 1))) {
@@ -705,15 +717,27 @@
 		}
 	    }
 	    break;
 
 	default:
-	    /*
-	     * Got a command word, not a redirection.
-	     */
+
+	    if (newSyntax) {
+		Tcl_SetObjResult(interp,
+				 Tcl_ObjPrintf(
+					       "Unsupported redirection \"%s\"",
+					       argv[i]));
+		Tcl_SetErrorCode(interp, "TCL", "OPERATION", "EXEC",
+				 "PIPESYNTAX", NULL);
+		goto error;
+	    } else {
 
-	    needCmd = 0;
+		/*
+		 * Got a command word, not a redirection.
+		 */
+		
+		needCmd = 0;
+	    }
 	    break;
 	}
 
 	if (skip != 0) {
 	    for (j = i + skip; j < argc; j++) {
@@ -856,22 +880,37 @@
 
     Tcl_ReapDetachedProcs();
     pidPtr = ckalloc(cmdCount * sizeof(Tcl_Pid));
 
     curInFile = inputFile;
+
+    lastArg = argc; /* compiler warning */
 
     for (i = 0; i < argc; i = lastArg + 1) {
 	int result, joinThisError;
 	Tcl_Pid pid;
 	const char *oldName;
 
-	/*
-	 * Convert the program name into native form.
-	 */
-
-	if (Tcl_TranslateFileName(interp, argv[i], &execBuffer) == NULL) {
-	    goto error;
+	if (newSyntax) {
+	    if (i == 0) {
+		lastArg = i;
+		continue;
+	    }
+	    if (Tcl_SplitList(interp, argv[i], &subArgc, &subArgv) != TCL_OK) {
+		goto error;
+	    }
+	    if (Tcl_TranslateFileName(interp, subArgv[0], &execBuffer) == NULL) {
+		goto error;
+	    }
+	} else {
+	    /*
+	     * Convert the program name into native form.
+	     */
+	    
+	    if (Tcl_TranslateFileName(interp, argv[i], &execBuffer) == NULL) {
+		goto error;
+	    }
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Find the end of the current segment of the pipeline.
 	 */
@@ -911,20 +950,28 @@
 	    curErrFile = curOutFile;
 	} else {
 	    curErrFile = errorFile;
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * Restore argv[i], since a caller wouldn't expect the contents of
-	 * argv to be modified.
-	 */
-
-	oldName = argv[i];
-	argv[i] = Tcl_DStringValue(&execBuffer);
-	result = TclpCreateProcess(interp, lastArg - i, argv + i,
-		curInFile, curOutFile, curErrFile, &pid);
-	argv[i] = oldName;
+	if (newSyntax) {
+	    subArgv[0] = Tcl_DStringValue(&execBuffer);
+	    result = TclpCreateProcess(interp, subArgc, subArgv,
+				       curInFile, curOutFile, curErrFile, &pid);
+	    ckfree(subArgv);
+	    subArgv = NULL;
+	} else {
+	    /*
+	     * Restore argv[i], since a caller wouldn't expect the contents of
+	     * argv to be modified.
+	     */
+	    
+	    oldName = argv[i];
+	    argv[i] = Tcl_DStringValue(&execBuffer);
+	    result = TclpCreateProcess(interp, lastArg - i, argv + i,
+				       curInFile, curOutFile, curErrFile, &pid);
+	    argv[i] = oldName;
+	}
 	if (result != TCL_OK) {
 	    goto error;
 	}
 	Tcl_DStringFree(&execBuffer);
 
@@ -1007,10 +1054,14 @@
 	    if (pidPtr[i] != (Tcl_Pid) -1) {
 		Tcl_DetachPids(1, &pidPtr[i]);
 	    }
 	}
 	ckfree(pidPtr);
+    }
+    if (subArgv != NULL) {
+	ckfree(subArgv);
+	subArgv = NULL;
     }
     numPids = -1;
     goto cleanup;
 }
 

Index: tests/exec.test
==================================================================
--- tests/exec.test
+++ tests/exec.test
@@ -370,11 +370,11 @@
 
 test exec-10.1 {errors in exec invocation} -constraints {exec} -body {
     exec
 } -returnCodes error -result {wrong # args: should be "exec ?-switch ...? arg ?arg ...?"}
 test exec-10.2 {errors in exec invocation} -constraints {exec} -body {
-    exec | cat
+    exec |& cat
 } -returnCodes error -result {illegal use of | or |& in command}
 test exec-10.3 {errors in exec invocation} -constraints {exec} -body {
     exec cat |
 } -returnCodes error -result {illegal use of | or |& in command}
 test exec-10.4 {errors in exec invocation} -constraints {exec} -body {
@@ -680,10 +680,16 @@
     # file descriptor in the [exec >>...]
     file size $tmpfile
 } -cleanup {
     removeFile $tmpfile
 } -result 14
+
+# New Syntax
+test exec-20.1 {New exec syntax with sublists} {exec} {
+    exec | {echo >}
+} >
+
 
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 # cleanup
 
 foreach file {gorp.file gorp.file2 echo echo2 cat wc sh sh2 sleep exit err} {