Using marks with dead keys

Question

I am using a keyboard layout in which the backtick (`) is a dead key.

This means that when I type a backtick followed by a vowel (for example `a) what Vim sees is an accented character (à). So if I set a mark with ma I can jump to the line of the mark with 'a. But jumping to the specific location of the mark with `a won't work.

I found a workaround for this: when typing a dead key I can make Vim receive a backtick by striking the backtick and then the space bar. So if I want to go to mark a I type `␣a.

Is there a way to jump to the mark without having to strike that extra space? With no side effects?

Answer 1

Try making it a mapping:

" Mapping dead keys in normal mode
nmap á 'a

That way, when Vim gets the accented a, it interprets it as `+a

Using nmap allows this to happen in normal mode only; in insert mode or command mode, you'll get the accented a as you'd expect.

It is possible to apply this to other keys:

nmap à `a
nmap Á 'A
nmap À `A
nmap ç 'c
nmap Ç 'C
nmap é 'e
nmap è `e
nmap É 'E
nmap È `E
nmap í 'i
nmap ì `i
nmap Í 'I
nmap Ì `I
nmap ó 'o
nmap ò `o
nmap Ó 'O
nmap Ò `O
nmap ú 'u
nmap ù `u
nmap Ú 'U
nmap Ù `U

Answer 2

" US-intl keyboard dead key re-mappings
nmap à `a|nmap á 'a
nmap ć 'c
nmap è `e|nmap é 'e
nmap ǵ 'g
nmap ì `i|nmap í 'i
nmap ḱ 'k
nmap ĺ 'l
nmap ḿ 'm
nmap ǹ `n|nmap ń 'n
nmap ò `o|nmap ó 'o
nmap ṕ 'p
nmap ŕ 'r
nmap ś 's
nmap ù `u|nmap ú 'u
nmap ǜ `v|nmap ǘ 'v
nmap ẁ `w|nmap ẃ 'w
nmap ỳ `y|nmap ý 'y
nmap ź 'z