Abstract: Apparatus and method for recording data in a speech recognition system and recognizing spoken data corresponding to the recorded data. The apparatus and method responds to entered data by generating a string of phonetic transcriptions from the entered data. The data and generated phonetic transcription string associated therewith is recorded in a vocabulary lexicon of the speech recognition system. The apparatus and method responds to receipt of spoken data by constructing a model of subwords characteristic of the spoken data and compares the constructed subword model with ones of the recorded lexicon vocabulary recorded phonetic transcription strings to recognize the spoken data as the data identified by and associated with a phonetic transcription string matching the constructed subword string.

Abstract: A voice response unit for transmitting voice prompt messages to customers and for receiving messages generated by customers in response to the voice prompt message. The unit has a speech recognizer for recognizing customer commands used to control operation of the voice response unit. Apparatus interconnects a voice decoder and voice recorder with a telephone line to transmit a generated voice prompt message and to recieve a customer message in response thereto from a calling customer coupled with the telephone line. The apparatus is also coupled with the speech recognizer and responds to receipt of a customer command combined with a portion of the transmitted voice prompt message reflected from the telephone line by cancelling the reflected voice prompt message with the transmitted voice prompt message thereby enabling the speech recognizer to respond to the customer command during transmission of the voice prompt message and interrupt the voice prompt message.