Lexical Interference from English in Written French Compositions of University Students in Ogun State

Lexical interference, the intrusion of first or dominant language items into second language production, is a pervasive source of error in written French compositions by Nigerian university students who operate in an English-dominant academic environment. This study analyses the patterns and frequency of English lexical interference in written French compositions produced by undergraduate French students at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. An error analysis framework was applied to a corpus of 210 written compositions collected across three academic year levels. Interference errors were identified, classified by type (direct English lexical insertion, false cognate confusion, semantic extension, and morphological calque), and tabulated by frequency across year levels. Results show a significant reduction in direct English lexical insertion errors from first to third year, consistent with increasing proficiency. However, false cognate errors and semantic extension errors were more resistant to remediation and remained frequent even among advanced-year students. Morphological calques, reflecting partial translation of English compound constructions into French, increased slightly in third-year compositions, suggesting a shift in error type with proficiency gain. English academic vocabulary items with no established French equivalents were the most frequent interference targets. The study argues for explicit instruction in false cognate awareness and French academic vocabulary as priority components of writing instruction in Ogun State French departments. Keywords: lexical interference, written French, error analysis, university students, Ogun State