A speech recognition system is trained to be sensitive not only to the actual spoken text, but also to the manner in which the text is spoken, for example, whether something is said confidently, or hesitatingly. In the preferred embodiment, this is achieved by using a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) as the recognition engine, and training the HMM to recognise different styles of input. This approach finds particular application in the telephony voice processing environment, where short caller responses need to be recognised, and the system can then react in a fashion appropriate to the tone or manner in which the caller has spoken.
Speech recognition system including manner discrimination