Developing elementary vocabulary in Spanish-speaking learners through high-frequency vocabulary and thematic minima with control of retention stability

Abstract

The article provides a scientific-methodological analysis of forming elementary vocabulary in adult Spanish-speaking learners of Russian, relying on high-frequency vocabulary and thematic minima with mandatory control of retention durability. The analysis is based on the concept of the mental lexicon as a network of semantic fields and associative links, where retrieval stability is determined not by the accumulation of isolated units but by their quality of integration into the learner's cognitive schemas. It is shown that typological distance between Spanish and Russian, differences in collocations, polysemy, and action categorization (including problematic areas of verbal vocabulary and verbs of motion), as well as phonetico-accentual difficulties, intensify interlingual interference and can block early mnemonic processes. The conflict between statistical frequency and thematic necessity is analyzed: high-frequency function words are critical for coherence but resist figurative encoding, while thematic sets are often overloaded with low-frequency nominals, creating an illusion of language proficiency amid a deficit of predicative means. The productivity of contextualization and variable repetition instead of mechanical memorization is substantiated, as is the appropriateness of shifting the unit of acquisition from word forms to collocations and syntagms, which is particularly significant for mastering case forms. The role of multisensory encoding, emotionalization of neutral high-frequency vocabulary, and early inclusion of accessible authentic materials is emphasized. A concentric organization of vocabulary is proposed with implicit control in communicative tasks, accounting for the anxiety of adult learners, and the use of corpus and digital tools to balance normativity and living usage, including conversational units with control of stylistic appropriateness. The conclusions establish criteria for relevant selection and verification of vocabulary for adaptive RKI courses aimed at sustainably forming the core vocabulary in Spanish speakers.