Adaptive pause detection in speech recognition

A computer usable program product comprising a computer readable storage device including computer usable code for adaptive pause detection in speech recognition, the computer usable code when executed using a processor causing a computer to carry out steps of a method comprising:

• receiving a speech stream comprising audio signal of a speech;
• computer usable code for marking a first point in the speech stream with a beginning time stamp;
• detecting, after the first point, a pause in the speech stream, wherein the pause is of a duration at least equal to a pause duration threshold;
• marking a second point after the pause in the speech stream with an ending time stamp, a portion of the speech stream between the beginning and the ending time stamps forming a first speech segment;
• computing a speech rate of the first speech segment using a number of words in the first speech segment, the beginning time stamp, and the ending time stamp;
• and
• adjusting, using a processor and a memory, the pause duration according to the speech rate of the first speech segment.

A data processing system for adaptive pause detection in speech recognition, the data processing system comprising:

• a storage device, wherein the storage device stores computer usable program code;
• and
• a processor, wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code, and wherein the computer usable program code comprises:
• computer usable code for receiving a speech stream comprising audio signal of a speech;
• computer usable code for marking a first point in the speech stream with a beginning time stamp;
• computer usable code for detecting, after the first point, a pause in the speech stream, wherein the pause is of a duration at least equal to a pause duration threshold;
• computer usable code for marking a second point after the pause in the speech stream with an ending time stamp, a portion of the speech stream between the beginning and the ending time stamps forming a first speech segment;
• computer usable code for computing a speech rate of the first speech segment using a number of words in the first speech segment, the beginning time stamp, and the ending time stamp;
• and
• computer usable code for adjusting, using a processor and a memory, the pause duration according to the speech rate of the first speech segment.