Systematic error analysis of cross-linguistic influence in english and german l2: form-focused instructional interventions for benin intermediate learners

This research examines systematic error patterns in English and German L2 acquisition among 120 intermediate Beninese learners (CEFR B1-B2). The study focuses on cross-linguistic influence from French L1 and Fongbe substrate effects. Corpus analysis of written and oral data reveals high error frequencies in articles (52.3% omission in English, influenced by Fongbe's zero-article system), verb tense-aspect (41.2% progressive errors), and word order (78.7% German subordinate clause errors). Results show 36% of errors involve Fongbe substrate influence, distinguishing Beninese learners from European francophones. A 12-week quasi-experimental intervention (n=60) in Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi schools tested culturally-responsive form-focused instruction adapted for large classes and limited resources. Experimental groups showed significant improvements: English articles (58.3% to 76.8%), verb forms (52.4% to 71.3%), and German word order (38.7% to 68.4%), with medium-to-large effect sizes (ηp²=.22-.31). Gains were largely maintained at delayed posttest. The study demonstrates that effective L2 instruction is achievable in resource-constrained African contexts through peer-based learning, low-cost materials, and explicit contrastive analysis including indigenous languages.