utf - string translation

[Klaas]

David H Wild wrote:
> In article <1164232741.215312.322990 at k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
>    John Machin <sjmachin at lexicon.net> wrote:
> > So why do you want to strip off accents? The history of communication
> > has several examples of significant difference in meaning caused by
> > minute differences in punctuation or accents including one of which you
> > may have heard: a will that could be read (in part) as either "a chacun
> > d'eux million francs" or "a chacun deux million francs" with the
> > remainder to a 3rd party.
>
> The difference there, though, is a punctuation character, not an accent.

It's not too hard to imagine an accentual difference, eg:

Le soldat protège avec le fusil --> the soldier protects with the gun
Le soldat protégé avec le fusil --> the soldier who is protected by
the gun (perhaps a cannon)

Contrived example, I realize, but there are scads of such instances.
(Caveat: my french is also very rusty).

-Mike