Records the fork for getting words from audio WITHOUT a serving-time learned
model: (A) words-as-text, or (B) deterministic formant/phonetic decode + taught
vocabulary. Status: Proposed (stub) — deferred, not a committed design. Captures
the problem, the 0-param/decode-not-borrow/refuse-over-fabricate/reviewed-growth
constraints, and the open questions a full ADR must answer. Exists so the
serving path doesn't silently reach for Whisper. Cross-linked from
docs/audio_pipeline_overview.md §9.
Adds §9 subsection: a teacher is bootstrap scaffolding for the teaching phase,
not a production component (not ML distillation — CORE has no weights). Serving
path must never call a teacher. Production is Whisper-free conditioned on a
lawful runtime path: (A) words-as-text, or (B) matured deterministic
audio→lexeme decode. Flags the trap: teaching with a model does not auto-transfer
word-recognition into a 0-param engine. 'The teacher teaches; the lawful path
serves.'
A from-the-ground-up reference for the audio modality: waveform → canonicalize
→ frames → acoustic lexer → typed AudioIR → operators/rotors → (32,) versor,
with every spec/constant grounded in the code (PR-2..PR-6 stack).
Includes the three-way clarification of learned models: embeddings (never),
audio specs (CORE's own DSP, not any model), text transcript (Whisper/NeMo as
typed labels only). Documents the substrate-vs-evidence split, the verbatim
teacher policy, current inert/gated status, and the 'scrutinise the consumer'
flag. Cross-links ADR-0180/0181 + spec + eval-plan. Lives at
docs/audio_pipeline_overview.md.
