15. The system of claim 10 , in which the prosodic features are encoded within a prosodic feature vector.
10. A system for determining predictive discourse function models comprising: an input/output circuit for retrieving a training corpus of speech utterances; and a processor for: determining prosodic features associated with speech utterances in the training corpus, determining discourse functions associated with the speech utterances in the training corpus, the discourse functions being determined automatically based on a theory of discourse analysis, and determining a predictive model for discourse functions by associating the prosodic features determined from the speech utterances in the training corpus with the discourse functions determined from the speech utterances in the training corpus, wherein the predictive model of discourse functions is used to predict from prosodic features of a specific recognized speech, a likelihood that speech utterances of the specific recognized speech reflect a specific discourse function, and wherein the predictive model of discourse functions is used to predict, based, at least in part, on the prosodic features, a likelihood of a first portion of a speech utterance being associated with a command directed at an application and a second portion of the speech utterance being associated with content being provided to the application.