Linguistics is the study of language as a human behaviour ' how it is structured and used. Linguistics at The University of Queensland addresses the nature and use of language in general, as manifested in specific languages. Courses in the structure of language examine its sounds (phonetics and phonology), words (morphology), sentences (syntax) and meaning (semantics) and the complex interactions between these properties of language. Students also study how language is used, including how children acquire language and how adults process it (psycholinguistics). Other areas investigated are the way languages change across time (historical linguistics), and how different regional, social or occupational varieties develop (sociolinguistics).