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Date Posted: 14:50:25 05/02/07 Wed
Author: Mariana Faria
Subject: Task two - Mariana

Explicit and Implicit Way


Languages do not exist in separation from culture and knowledge of culture holds a key to understanding of a language. Because of this there is the necessity of teaching culture while teaching languages. We should and do teach our students the L2 or FL culture in our classes when our goal is communicative competence. There are two ways to teach/ learn culture: an implicit and an explicit way.
The first way, though culture is implicit is what we teach, to assume that those who are 'learning the language' in our classes are also learning the cultural knowledge and skills required to be competent L2/FL speakers denies the complexity of culture, language learning, and communication. We can do it with texts about the country in where the language that is been taught is spoken. With the texts the students should train reading and writing skills and also incorporated the culture implicit.
The implicit culture teaching is efficient because people also learned a second or foreign language in order to read and study its literature. Allen (1985) has summarized it: "...prior to the 1960s, the lines between language and culture were carefully drawn. The primary reason for second language study in the earlier part of this century was access to the great literary masterpieces of civilization" (p. 138). So with texts a lot of things will be learned together.
The implicit way could be satisfactory for ones, but it is criticized for others. About it, Michael Lessard-Clouston (1997) says “in terms of the methodology of culture teaching, a laissez-faire approach is not adequate. Just as we are intentional in terms of what grammatical structures we teach and how, we must also be systematic about our culture teaching.”
The second way, the explicit culture teaching way, is when the culture aspect is really developed. Learners benefit most when the culture lessons and the cultural aspects of language teaching are well planned and developed.
The explicit way could be developed in an adequate way when it makes the student feels as an American person (if he or she is learning English, for example). The culture is not memorized but internalized and the students really think in that language. Good culture class has to be interactions with native speakers; it has to be communication and discussion. It is in fact successful when the student gets information, knows behaviors, discovers explanation and personalizes knowledge.
The prudent teaching will mix both implicit and explicit way, so the teaching/learning will not get boring and certainly will be successful.

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