Explicit-Implicit Dance, Balance, or Choice?

This article serves as a counterargument to the post published by Rachel Paling: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/learning-language-explicit-implicit-dance-rachel-paling--lmbme/.

For over fifty years, linguists have debated the distinction between language acquisition (naturally acquired) and language learning (conscious studying). Despite extensive discussion, there is still no consensus on whether to prioritize acquisition, learning, or a balance of both.

Rachel discusses this issue from the brain's perspective, ignoring a clear distinction between brain and mind. The brain is the physical structure, while the mind represents the intangible aspects of our mental processes and consciousness. The mind is abstract and cannot be physically located. The brain consists of two hemispheres, whereas the mind operates through two systems: System 1 for rapid, subconscious processing and System 2 for slower, conscious processing.

Being in a country where a new language is spoken does not automatically mean you are in "acquisition mode." Being surrounded by a new language does not guarantee that one is actively acquiring it. Acquisition involves a more profound, often subconscious, process of internalizing the language.

The ‘tyranny of the mother tongue’ phenomenon implies that learners often rely on translating the new language into their native language to understand it. This can hinder true acquisition because it keeps the immersive learning process at a conscious level rather than allowing the new language to be processed and understood directly. This aligns with the idea that without proper methods and techniques, immersion alone does not lead to subconscious language acquisition.

The statement that “learning insights” may assist the process of “making conscious, the subconscious knowledge” is inaccurate.

It is challenging to simultaneously use both conscious and subconscious processing on the same task because conscious processing requires focused attention, while subconscious processing operates in the background.

When you try to think consciously about a task that has become subconscious, it can interfere with the automatic execution of that task. For example, a skilled pianist might struggle if they start to consciously think about each note while playing a familiar piece.

The key is to practice until the task becomes automatic, allowing subconscious processing to take over and improve efficiency and performance. However, using both systems simultaneously to learn a language is impossible. This is true, as System 1 and System 2 thinking operate differently and are typically engaged in different tasks. So, explicit-implicit is not a dance! Instead, implicit learning is a choice; for children, it is a natural choice to acquire their native language. However, special conditions for activating the subconscious mind should be introduced for adults to ensure implicit learning. Those conditions require performing three actions simultaneously: reading, listening, and speaking. This results in an unexpected corollary: coaches must offer adults a particular application to guide them in their subconscious (implicit) self-training.

Rachel, you are entirely focused on human interaction, so learning apps is outside your scope of interest. This approach is limited since a coach can only have implicit learning in a classroom with a particular application that creates the environment for applying the triple activity of simultaneously reading the text, listening to audio files, and speaking.

Quora query “Which methods use implicit learning?” named five methods:

1.????? Total Physical Response (TPR). ?

2.???? Natural Approach.

3.???? Silent Way.

4.??? Suggestopedia.

5.???? Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT).

However, we should apply stricter criteria, such as eliminating (a) automatic forgetting, (b) the habit of cross-translating, and (c) conscious control. In that case, it becomes clear that the above methods do not meet these requirements. In processing language information, they use System 2 of our mind (extrinsic learning).

In conclusion, my response to the title question is Choice. Coaches and learners can select explicit or implicit learning. Moreover, they can start with explicit learning and turn it into implicit learning, but they cannot balance or use them simultaneously.