Grapheme clusters, a.k.a.real characters

[Chris Angelico]

On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 11:11 PM, Steve D'Aprano
<steve+python at pearwood.info> wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jul 2017 08:01 am, Mikhail V wrote:
>
>> And just in case still its not clear: this is not
>> solved by adding dirt around the letter: if there is
>> enough significance of the phoneme distinction then
>> one should add a distinct letter for a syntax in question.
>
> It isn't "dirt", any more than difference between Ш (SHA) and Щ (SHCHA)
> is "dirt", or between F and E is "dirt".
>
> In Swedish, Å, Ä, and Ö are distinct letters of the alphabet. In Danish and
> Norwegian, Æ Ø and Å are distinct letters of the alphabet. Just as in English W
> is a distinct letter of the alphabet, different from either VV or UU.
>
> (I don't think any native English words use a double-V or double-U, but the
> possibility exists.)

vacuum.

ChrisA