Systematic Lexical Engineering: A Multi-Source Framework for Enriching English with Romance Language Semantic Primitives

This study presents a systematic, replicable methodology for controlled lexical enrichment of English through neological transfer from Romance language untranslatables. Building upon an established framework initially applied to Brazilian Portuguese [1], we extend the analysis to Italian (25 lexemes) and French (31 lexemes), producing a validated corpus of 66 minimal-form neologisms. Each proposal undergoes rigorous tri-level evaluation: (1) phonological optimization—adherence to 3–5 letter constraint, universal phoneme inventory, and English phonotactic patterns; (2) morphosyntactic viability—demonstrated derivational productivity and syntactic integration capacity; (3) semantic fidelity—preservation of source-language cultural schemas through back-translation validation (n=30 native speakers, mean fidelity rating: 4.3/5.0). The methodology employs a five-stage process: source term selection via cultural salience metrics, systematic gap identification through English corpus analysis (COCA, BNC), constraint-based neologism generation, phonosemantic optimization, and multi-context syntactic testing. Results demonstrate that deliberate lexical engineering, when governed by explicit linguistic constraints and cultural fidelity protocols, can address genuine expressive lacunae in Global English. The complete inventory spans 11 semantic domains, with highest representation in affective states (27.3%) and social behaviors (19.7%). Statistical analysis confirms phonological compliance (consonant-vowel ratio: 0.8–1.5) and morphological productivity (95% accept standard English inflections). This work contributes to ongoing discourse on planned language change, intercultural semantics, and the role of systematic borrowing in lingua franca evolution. Cultural-Linguistic Transfer and Neological Innovation: Proposing New English Lexemes from Brazilian Portuguese Untranslatables link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18087254 Léxico Español con Gramática Esperanto - Un Idioma Construido Riguroso (Unua Libro de Hispana Esperanta) link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18248533 Lexique Français avec Grammaire Espéranto - Une Langue Construite Rigoureuse link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18249922 English Lexicon with Esperanto Grammar - A Rigorous Constructed Language link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18242009