System and method for creating a language grammar using a spreadsheet or table interface

A computer system for creating a language grammar, said computer system comprising:

• a main table of columns and rows of cells;
• terminal cells in said main table, where phrase data is entered in said terminal cells and are combined to form valid utterances in said language grammar;
• marked cells in said main table, where marked cells indicate the end of a valid utterance;
• token data in a plurality of said cells, where each said valid utterance is associated with said token data which represents the meaning of said valid utterance;
• means for performing an enumeration traversal of said main table, where said enumeration traversal automatically generates a list of valid utterances in said language grammar;
• and
• means for analyzing said main table and extracting a set of rules from the contents of said main table, where valid utterances in said language grammar follow said set of rules.

A method for creating a language grammar for use in an interactive voice response system, comprising the steps of:

• opening a main table, said main table comprising rows and columns of cells;
• entering phrase data in said cells;
• creating a barrier in said main table that is not to be crossed during an enumeration traversal;
• identifying a cell as a non-terminal cell, where the contents of said non-terminal cell reference another table;
• further identifying a non-terminal cell as a variable cell, where the contents of said variable cell also reference an algorithm which will be performed when said interactive voice response system detects a variable in a spoken utterance;
• identifying a cell as an optional cell, where valid utterances that include said optional cell are valid both with and without contents of said optional cell;
• identifying a cell as an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system directive cell, where the contents of said ASR directive cell have special meaning to an ASR system;
• marking one of said cells as ending a valid utterance in said language grammar;
• entering token data in a cell associated with said marked cell, where said token data represents the meaning of said valid utterance ended by said marked cell;
• performing said enumeration traversal of said main table a first time to enumerate valid utterances found in said main table;
• writing results of said enumeration traversal to a first output file;
• analyzing said main table to extract a set of rules which define the valid utterances found in said main table;
• and
• writing results of said analysis to a second output file.