Non-Java applications can produce ascii versions of dead keys by typing 
the dead key followed by the space key.  For example, in a German xmodmap,  dead-acute followed by space produces apostrophe.  dead-circumflex followed 
by space produces ascii circumflex.  

The test case below can be used to see that this does not work in JDK1.4.2 
with lightweight TextComponents (including Swing).  

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;        

public class MySwingTest extends JApplet implements KeyListener, ActionListener {

    JTextField jtf = null; 
    JTextArea jta = null; 

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        JFrame frame = new JFrame("MySwingTest");
        JPanel p = new JPanel();

        MySwingTest applet = new MySwingTest();
        applet.init();

        p.add("Center", applet);
        frame.getContentPane().add(p);

        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        frame.pack();
        frame.setSize(850, 200);
        frame.setVisible(true);

        applet.start();
    }

    public void init() { 
        JLabel jl = new JLabel("Enter characters");

        jtf = new JTextField("Hello World", 20);
        jtf.addKeyListener(this);
        jtf.addActionListener(this);
        jta = new JTextArea("Hello World", 4, 30);
        jta.addKeyListener(this);

        // the default layout manager for a JApplet is a BorderLayout 
        this.getContentPane().setLayout(new FlowLayout());
        this.getContentPane().add(jl, FlowLayout.LEFT);
        this.getContentPane().add(jtf, FlowLayout.CENTER);
        this.getContentPane().add(jta, FlowLayout.RIGHT);
    }

    public void start() { 
        jtf.requestFocus();
    }

    public void keyPressed(KeyEvent evt)
    {
        printKey(evt);
    }

    public void keyTyped(KeyEvent evt)
    {
        printKey(evt);
    }

    public void keyReleased(KeyEvent evt)
    {
        printKey(evt);
        System.out.print("\n");
    }

    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent evt)
    {
        System.out.print("\n");
        System.out.print("Action Event\n");
        System.out.println(evt.toString());
        System.out.print("\n");
    }

    protected void printKey(KeyEvent evt)
    {
        switch(evt.getID())
        {
          case KeyEvent.KEY_TYPED:
            break;
          case KeyEvent.KEY_PRESSED:
            break;
          case KeyEvent.KEY_RELEASED:
            break;
          default:
            System.out.println("Other Event ");
            return;
        }

        System.out.print("params= " + evt.paramString() + "  \n" +
          "KeyChar: " + evt.getKeyChar() + " = " + (int) evt.getKeyChar() +
          "   KeyCode: " + evt.getKeyCode() +
          "   Modifiers: " + evt.getModifiers());
        if (evt.isActionKey())
            System.out.print("   Action Key");
        System.out.print("\n");

        System.out.println("keyText= " + evt.getKeyText(evt.getKeyCode())
          + "\n");
    }

}
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