Dear Bryan,
maybe you’ll find it helpful to have a look at the algorithms described
in
Wikipedia,
e.g. , http://en.wikipedia.org/Bubble_sort
(http://en.wikipedia.org/Bubble_sort) .
You’ll find a description of how the algorithm works, in plain English,
and
some
pseudocode, using much of the notation you find so unfamiliar.
For more encyclopedic requirements, there are the books:
Algorithms, by Robert Sedgewick,
and The Art of Computer Programming, by Donald Knuth , 3 vols ( an
absolute
classic),
Combinatorial Optimization, by Alexander Schrijver, 3 vols or one CD
(very
impressive also),
Best regards,
Axel