An Edit-Distance Model for the Approximate Matching of Timed Strings

An edit-distance model that can be used for the approximate matching of contiguous and noncontiguous timed strings is presented. The model extends the concept of the weighted string-edit distance by introducing timed edit operations and by making the edit costs time dependent. Special attention is paid to the timed null symbols that are associated with the timed insertions and deletions. The usefulness of the presented model is demonstrated on the classification of phone-recognition errors using the TIMIT speech database.