1. A method of recognizing speech wherein a reference feature vector system is partitioned in memory into a reference first portion of feature vectors, which has a constant time duration independent of a speaker, and a reference second portion of feature vectors, which has a time duration dependent on a speaker, and said reference feature vector system is compared to unknown speech having an unknown first portion of feature vectors and an unknown second portion of feature vectors, comprising the steps of: (a) locating a first portion of feature vectors in said reference feature vector system, (b) locating unwarped candidate first portions in said unknown speech by shifting said reference first portion through said unknown speech and comparing said reference first portion with said unknown speech, (c) matching said reference first portion with one of said candidate first portions in said unknown speech; and (d) matching said reference second portion with said unknown second portion by linearly designating each feature vector of said unknown second portion to a feature vector in said reference second portion.