Optimization and Search in Speech and Language Processing
definition: Optimization and search are vital to modern speech and natural language processing systems, as speech recognition and parsing are combinatorial optimization problems, in which from a large number of potential analyses the best ones (those with highest overall probability, smallest number of assumed errors, best fit with contextual expectation...) need to be identified.
See also the corresponding HLT Survey chapter: http://www.lt-world.org/hlt_survey/ltw-chapter11-7.pdf