Neology is one of the linguistic phenomena that lets us infer data about the level of internal vitality of a language. We start from the assumption that lexical neology is present in all natural languages. Lexical neology is particularly evident in specialised knowledge domains where new terms are continuously being coined. But in those communities which import knowledge the use of loanwords is, by far, the most frequent way of creating new terms, much more than resorting to the resources offered by their own linguistic systems. Experts hardly ever create new designations spontaneously, using resources of their own language, only if they have a strong linguistic awareness. Trends in coining new terms are in fact determined by the sociolinguistic conditions of every language variety.

Our starting premise is that we have to know real data in order to guide, if needed, the adoption of new designations. The analysis of neological data and the study of the resources and processes most widely and spontaneously used in the different varieties of Spanish spoken in Spain can be one of the basis for the incorporation of new lexical units in dictionaries and the selection of concurrent variants in usage.

The lexicon is the most dynamic component of languages. It is being constantly updated to face the designation of new realities and concepts as well as the speakers' need to be more expressive. Lexical neology constitutes one of the keys offered by real data to know the most productive ways chosen by language speakers to update the lexicon. The analysis of lexical neology also allows us to guide, when necessary, the creation of new terms, specially in specialised domains, not only by taking the system but also, and primarily, usage as reference point. Knowledge of reality is the basis upon which we can make decisions.

The aim of this project is to provide reliable data on the lexical trends observed in Spanish and its different varieties in order to advance in the analysis of the dynamics of the Spanish lexicon and contribute to the adoption of criteria for its updating in specialized domains.