8. A computer system having improved speech-recognition capabilities, programmed to recognize a series of words in an electronic waveform derived from an utterance, which waveform is expressed as a time series of samples, each sample including data defining a frequency spectrum, wherein the computer system comprises a digital computer, a data buffer, and stored speech-recognition software instructions structured to direct the computer to automatically: (a) use the series of frequency spectra to divide the waveform into time segments during which the frequency spectra are stable, herein referred to as posture spectra beats, and time segments during which the frequency spectra are changing between consecutive posture spectra beats, herein referred to as changing spectra beats; (b) calculate a beat prominence for each of the beats detected in part (a), wherein beat prominence depends on beat duration and mean amplitude for the portion of the waveform having amplitude above an amplitude threshold; (c) identify syllables within the waveform by comparing the sequence of detected beats and associated beat prominences to first prestored data indicating, for each of a predefined set of possible syllables, expected patterns of posture spectra beats and changing spectra beats, and their associated beat prominences; (d) for each identified syllable, calculate a syllable prominence from at least some beat prominences of the beats within the syllable; (e) identify words within the waveform by comparing the sequence of identified syllables and associated syllable prominences to second prestored data indicating, for each of a predefined set of possible words, expected patterns of syllables and their associated syllable prominences; and (f) store electronically in the output buffer, in a form suitable for use in a speech-recognition application, a series of data entries indicating words identified within the waveform derived from the utterance.
14. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the series of frequency spectra is limited to profiled waveforms in a frequency band defined by a high bounding frequency and a low bounding frequency, and wherein the stored software instructions further comprise instructions to normalize the series of frequency spectra.