An Analysis of Error Patterns in Written German Among Undergraduate Students at the University of Benin

This study analyses patterns of grammatical and lexical errors in the written German of undergraduate students at the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, in the South South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Error analysis provides a systematic methodology for understanding interlanguage development and identifying areas where instructional intervention is most needed. Despite its utility, error analysis studies focusing specifically on written German production in Nigerian tertiary settings are limited. The study collects a corpus of written compositions from 80 second-year German language students across three genres: formal letters, descriptive essays, and narrative accounts. A total of approximately 240 texts were analysed using a classification framework adapted from established error taxonomy literature. Findings reveal that errors related to case marking, verb agreement, and nominal declension are the most frequent, consistent with the structural complexity of German morphology relative to English. Lexical errors involving false cognates and calques from English are also prevalent. The study argues that these patterns reflect both the inadequacy of grammar instruction and the cross-linguistic influence of English as a dominant academic language. Recommendations include the adoption of process writing approaches and the use of targeted grammar correction protocols in written assignments. Keywords: error analysis, written German, undergraduate students, University of Benin, interlanguage.