Between limitations and boundaries: The need for a comprehensive study and approach to the fundamental lexicon of Spanish Sánchez López, Isabel Vocabulario fundamental Adquisición Frecuencia Vocabulary Core lexicon Learning This study highlights the importance of optimizing the process of learning a new language through a comprehensive analysis of the core Spanish lexicon. A holistic ap- proach is proposed, addressing internal structural delimitation, semantic, morphological, and phonological complexity, as well as lexical networks and processing. The research exam- ines word frequency, lexical acquisition in academic contexts, conceptualization tasks, and the quantitative and qualitative profitability of vocabulary learning. It also discusses lexical centrality and the need for an interdisciplinary perspective. Practical tools such as lexical analysis, frequency indexes, lexical availability studies, and other complementary works are presented. Finally, the lexical nomenclatures used in the Chinese educational system are introduced as a comparative model, underscoring the relevance of corpora and lexicometric tools in the analysis and selection of fundamental vocabulary. La identificación del vocabulario esencial del español responde a la necesidad de optimizar el proceso de adquisición del idioma, así como de apoyar el desarrollo de tecnologías lingüísticas que exigen un conjunto sólido y representativo de palabras comunes. Este impulso ha sido reforzado por la expansión del español como lengua global y por la creciente demanda de herramientas lingüísticas avanzadas, fundamentales para tareas como la evaluación, el diseño de currículos educativos y la elaboración de materiales pedagógicos. La eficacia en el aprendizaje de una lengua debe ser un principio rector tanto en la labor docente como en las herramientas empleadas para su enseñanza. 2026-01-22T11:28:12Z 2026-01-22T11:28:12Z 2025-10-17 journal article Sánchez López, I. (2025). Between limitations and boundaries: The need for a comprehensive study and approach to the fundamental lexicon of Spanish. Porta Linguarum An International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning, (XV), 239–254. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.viXV.33669 2695-8244 1697-7467 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/110095 10.30827/portalin.viXV.33669 eng open access Editorial Universidad de Granada