The goal is to develop a speaker‐independent, semivowel detector‐classifier for use with continuous speech. Preliminary analysis of semivowels within continuous speech indicates large within‐(and between) speaker variability in the respective semivowel formant frequencies, amplitudes, and durations of steady states and transitions. Deviations from textbook descriptions based on isolated words are significant. Coarticulation effects are also large. Nevertheless, through the use of energy, energy ratios, zero crossings, and signal envelopes, a logical analytical scheme was developed that classifies segments of continuous speech as: semivowel, high‐front vowel, vowel, nasal, fricative, stop, or plosive. The specific characteristics of this scheme will be discussed and the computer‐generated displays that were used will be presented. Results of using this scheme on a large corpus of phonetically labeled speech will be presented. [Work supported, in part, by DARPA.]