7. An apparatus for recognizing at least one keyword in an audio speech signal, each keyword being characterized by a template having at least one target pattern, each pattern representing at least two short term power spectra, and each target pattern having associated therewith at least two required dwell time positions and at least one optional dwell time position, the recognition apparatus comprising, means for forming, at a repetitive frame time rate, a sequence of input frame patterns from, and representing, said audio signal, each frame pattern corresponding to a said frame time, and successive frame patterns corresponding to successive dwell time positions, means for generating a numerical measure of the similarity of each said frame pattern with each of said target patterns, means for accumulating, for each said target pattern required dwell time position and each said target pattern optional dwell time position, and using said numerical measure of the similarity of the just formed frame pattern and said each target pattern, a numerical value representing the alignment of the just formed audio representing frame pattern with the respective target pattern dwell time position, and means for generating a recognition decision, based upon the accumulated numerical values, when a predetermined sequence occurs in said audio signal.
14. The method of claim 7 wherein the decision generating and accumulating means comprise means for directing the transfer of accumulated scores in response to a syntax generating element.