If you spend an afternoon at your local flying club, all your questions will be answered.
Then when you get a good kit, a good manual has a few pages of explanations in it.
Otherwise you can look for the full scale literature. Those will explain why an airplane flies and what the control surfaces do and then some....
(most people believe in the Bernoulli theory, I think that guy had too much vino).

You can also Google most of the information you need.
If you are afraid to build - just buy a good kit and take your time building it. Or get an ARF - or just buy a used trainer.
The best way to learn is to get started. Yes, you will make mistakes and you will learn from it. Don't be scared to ask a 'dumb' question.
Get help from some fellow RC pilots in your area, don't try to teach yourself how to fly - this is always a very frustrating experience.
And even the best pilots break stuff - that is why we always bring more then one plane to the field.