Table 1 Key characteristics of implicit and explicit knowledge (Adapted from Ellis, 2005)
Characteristics | Implicit knowledge | Explicit knowledge |
|---|---|---|
Awareness | Intuitive awareness of linguistic norms | Conscious awareness of linguistic norms |
Type of knowledge | Procedural knowledge of rules and fragments | Declarative knowledge of grammatical rules and fragments |
Systematicity | Variable but systematic knowledge | Anomalous and inconsistent knowledge |
Accessibility | Access to knowledge by means of automatic processing | Access to knowledge by means of controlled processing |
Use of L2 knowledge | Access to knowledge during fluent performance | Access to knowledge during planning difficulty |
Self-report | Nonverbalizable | Verbalizable |
learnability | Potentially only within critical period | Any age |