diff --git a/src/charset.c b/src/charset.c
index 1000692..8a4fb7d 100644
--- a/src/charset.c
+++ b/src/charset.c
@@ -30,21 +30,32 @@
 #define RESET_CHARTAB(buf, c) (buf)->b_chartab[(unsigned)(c) >> 3] &= ~(1 << ((c) & 0x7))
 #define GET_CHARTAB(buf, c) ((buf)->b_chartab[(unsigned)(c) >> 3] & (1 << ((c) & 0x7)))
 
+/* table used below, see init_chartab() for an explanation */
+static char_u	g_chartab[256];
+
 /*
- * Fill chartab[].  Also fills curbuf->b_chartab[] with flags for keyword
+ * Flags for g_chartab[].
+ */
+#define CT_CELL_MASK	0x07	/* mask: nr of display cells (1, 2 or 4) */
+#define CT_PRINT_CHAR	0x10	/* flag: set for printable chars */
+#define CT_ID_CHAR	0x20	/* flag: set for ID chars */
+#define CT_FNAME_CHAR	0x40	/* flag: set for file name chars */
+
+/*
+ * Fill g_chartab[].  Also fills curbuf->b_chartab[] with flags for keyword
  * characters for current buffer.
  *
  * Depends on the option settings 'iskeyword', 'isident', 'isfname',
  * 'isprint' and 'encoding'.
  *
- * The index in chartab[] depends on 'encoding':
+ * The index in g_chartab[] depends on 'encoding':
  * - For non-multi-byte index with the byte (same as the character).
  * - For DBCS index with the first byte.
  * - For UTF-8 index with the character (when first byte is up to 0x80 it is
  *   the same as the character, if the first byte is 0x80 and above it depends
  *   on further bytes).
  *
- * The contents of chartab[]:
+ * The contents of g_chartab[]:
  * - The lower two bits, masked by CT_CELL_MASK, give the number of display
  *   cells the character occupies (1 or 2).  Not valid for UTF-8 above 0x80.
  * - CT_PRINT_CHAR bit is set when the character is printable (no need to
@@ -86,18 +97,18 @@
 	 */
 	c = 0;
 	while (c < ' ')
-	    chartab[c++] = (dy_flags & DY_UHEX) ? 4 : 2;
+	    g_chartab[c++] = (dy_flags & DY_UHEX) ? 4 : 2;
 #ifdef EBCDIC
 	while (c < 255)
 #else
 	while (c <= '~')
 #endif
-	    chartab[c++] = 1 + CT_PRINT_CHAR;
+	    g_chartab[c++] = 1 + CT_PRINT_CHAR;
 #ifdef FEAT_FKMAP
 	if (p_altkeymap)
 	{
 	    while (c < YE)
-		chartab[c++] = 1 + CT_PRINT_CHAR;
+		g_chartab[c++] = 1 + CT_PRINT_CHAR;
 	}
 #endif
 	while (c < 256)
@@ -105,17 +116,17 @@
 #ifdef FEAT_MBYTE
 	    /* UTF-8: bytes 0xa0 - 0xff are printable (latin1) */
 	    if (enc_utf8 && c >= 0xa0)
-		chartab[c++] = CT_PRINT_CHAR + 1;
+		g_chartab[c++] = CT_PRINT_CHAR + 1;
 	    /* euc-jp characters starting with 0x8e are single width */
 	    else if (enc_dbcs == DBCS_JPNU && c == 0x8e)
-		chartab[c++] = CT_PRINT_CHAR + 1;
+		g_chartab[c++] = CT_PRINT_CHAR + 1;
 	    /* other double-byte chars can be printable AND double-width */
 	    else if (enc_dbcs != 0 && MB_BYTE2LEN(c) == 2)
-		chartab[c++] = CT_PRINT_CHAR + 2;
+		g_chartab[c++] = CT_PRINT_CHAR + 2;
 	    else
 #endif
 		/* the rest is unprintable by default */
-		chartab[c++] = (dy_flags & DY_UHEX) ? 4 : 2;
+		g_chartab[c++] = (dy_flags & DY_UHEX) ? 4 : 2;
 	}
 
 #ifdef FEAT_MBYTE
@@ -124,7 +135,7 @@
 	    if ((enc_dbcs != 0 && MB_BYTE2LEN(c) > 1)
 		    || (enc_dbcs == DBCS_JPNU && c == 0x8e)
 		    || (enc_utf8 && c >= 0xa0))
-		chartab[c] |= CT_FNAME_CHAR;
+		g_chartab[c] |= CT_FNAME_CHAR;
 #endif
     }
 
@@ -232,9 +243,9 @@
 		    if (i == 0)			/* (re)set ID flag */
 		    {
 			if (tilde)
-			    chartab[c] &= ~CT_ID_CHAR;
+			    g_chartab[c] &= ~CT_ID_CHAR;
 			else
-			    chartab[c] |= CT_ID_CHAR;
+			    g_chartab[c] |= CT_ID_CHAR;
 		    }
 		    else if (i == 1)		/* (re)set printable */
 		    {
@@ -256,23 +267,23 @@
 			{
 			    if (tilde)
 			    {
-				chartab[c] = (chartab[c] & ~CT_CELL_MASK)
+				g_chartab[c] = (g_chartab[c] & ~CT_CELL_MASK)
 					     + ((dy_flags & DY_UHEX) ? 4 : 2);
-				chartab[c] &= ~CT_PRINT_CHAR;
+				g_chartab[c] &= ~CT_PRINT_CHAR;
 			    }
 			    else
 			    {
-				chartab[c] = (chartab[c] & ~CT_CELL_MASK) + 1;
-				chartab[c] |= CT_PRINT_CHAR;
+				g_chartab[c] = (g_chartab[c] & ~CT_CELL_MASK) + 1;
+				g_chartab[c] |= CT_PRINT_CHAR;
 			    }
 			}
 		    }
 		    else if (i == 2)		/* (re)set fname flag */
 		    {
 			if (tilde)
-			    chartab[c] &= ~CT_FNAME_CHAR;
+			    g_chartab[c] &= ~CT_FNAME_CHAR;
 			else
-			    chartab[c] |= CT_FNAME_CHAR;
+			    g_chartab[c] |= CT_FNAME_CHAR;
 		    }
 		    else /* i == 3 */		/* (re)set keyword flag */
 		    {
@@ -531,9 +542,9 @@
 #endif
 
 /*
- * Catch 22: chartab[] can't be initialized before the options are
+ * Catch 22: g_chartab[] can't be initialized before the options are
  * initialized, and initializing options may cause transchar() to be called!
- * When chartab_initialized == FALSE don't use chartab[].
+ * When chartab_initialized == FALSE don't use g_chartab[].
  * Does NOT work for multi-byte characters, c must be <= 255.
  * Also doesn't work for the first byte of a multi-byte, "c" must be a
  * character!
@@ -718,7 +729,7 @@
     if (enc_utf8 && b >= 0x80)
 	return 0;
 #endif
-    return (chartab[b] & CT_CELL_MASK);
+    return (g_chartab[b] & CT_CELL_MASK);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -748,7 +759,7 @@
 	}
     }
 #endif
-    return (chartab[c & 0xff] & CT_CELL_MASK);
+    return (g_chartab[c & 0xff] & CT_CELL_MASK);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -765,7 +776,7 @@
 	return utf_ptr2cells(p);
     /* For DBCS we can tell the cell count from the first byte. */
 #endif
-    return (chartab[*p] & CT_CELL_MASK);
+    return (g_chartab[*p] & CT_CELL_MASK);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -900,7 +911,7 @@
 vim_isIDc(c)
     int c;
 {
-    return (c > 0 && c < 0x100 && (chartab[c] & CT_ID_CHAR));
+    return (c > 0 && c < 0x100 && (g_chartab[c] & CT_ID_CHAR));
 }
 
 /*
@@ -966,7 +977,7 @@
 vim_isfilec(c)
     int	c;
 {
-    return (c >= 0x100 || (c > 0 && (chartab[c] & CT_FNAME_CHAR)));
+    return (c >= 0x100 || (c > 0 && (g_chartab[c] & CT_FNAME_CHAR)));
 }
 
 /*
@@ -999,7 +1010,7 @@
     if (enc_utf8 && c >= 0x100)
 	return utf_printable(c);
 #endif
-    return (c >= 0x100 || (c > 0 && (chartab[c] & CT_PRINT_CHAR)));
+    return (c >= 0x100 || (c > 0 && (g_chartab[c] & CT_PRINT_CHAR)));
 }
 
 /*
@@ -1016,7 +1027,7 @@
     if (enc_utf8 && c >= 0x100)
 	return utf_printable(c);
 #endif
-    return (c >= 0x100 || (c > 0 && (chartab[c] & CT_PRINT_CHAR)));
+    return (c >= 0x100 || (c > 0 && (g_chartab[c] & CT_PRINT_CHAR)));
 }
 
 /*
@@ -1368,7 +1379,7 @@
 		    if (enc_utf8 && c >= 0x80)
 			incr = utf_ptr2cells(ptr);
 		    else
-			incr = CHARSIZE(c);
+			incr = g_chartab[c] & CT_CELL_MASK;
 
 		    /* If a double-cell char doesn't fit at the end of a line
 		     * it wraps to the next line, it's like this char is three
@@ -1382,7 +1393,7 @@
 		}
 		else
 #endif
-		    incr = CHARSIZE(c);
+		    incr = g_chartab[c] & CT_CELL_MASK;
 	    }
 
 	    if (posptr != NULL && ptr >= posptr) /* character at pos->col */