> b) I learn Chinese from the ground up. It won't be pretty for a long time to come, but at the end of the road I know exactly what I'm saying That's not reall

> b) I learn Chinese from the ground up. It won't be pretty for a long time to come, but at the end of the road I know exactly what I'm saying That's not really how people learn languages -- not to become fluent, anyway. Think about how children learn to speak. They copy adults, get feedback, and eventually put it all together without understanding why it works until later.