Berkeley Supernova Ia Program II: Initial Analysis of Spectra Obtained
  Near Maximum Brightness
  In this second paper in a series we present measurements of spectral features
of 432 low-redshift (z < 0.1) optical spectra of 261 Type Ia supernovae (SNe
Ia) within 20 d of maximum brightness. The data were obtained from 1989 through
the end of 2008 as part of the Berkeley SN Ia Program (BSNIP) and are presented
in BSNIP I (Silverman et al. 2012). We describe in detail our method of
automated, robust spectral feature definition and measurement which expands
upon similar previous studies. Using this procedure, we attempt to measure
expansion velocities, pseudo-equivalent widths (pEW), spectral feature depths,
and fluxes at the centre and endpoints of each of nine major spectral feature
complexes. We investigate how velocity and pEW evolve with time and how they
correlate with each other. Various spectral classification schemes are employed
and quantitative spectral differences among the subclasses are investigated.
Several ratios of pEW values are calculated and studied. The so-called Si II
ratio, often used as a luminosity indicator (Nugent et al. 1995), is found to
be well correlated with the so-called "SiFe" ratio and anticorrelated with the
analogous "SSi ratio," confirming the results of previous studies. Furthermore,
SNe Ia that show strong evidence for interaction with circumstellar material or
an aspherical explosion are found to have the largest near-maximum expansion
velocities and pEWs, possibly linking extreme values of spectral observables
with specific progenitor or explosion scenarios. [Abridged]
