diff --git a/devel/koe/KoeFre.gf b/devel/koe/KoeFre.gf
index 7b36ae67c..cf0b31f2d 100644
--- a/devel/koe/KoeFre.gf
+++ b/devel/koe/KoeFre.gf
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 concrete KoeFre of Koe = {
 
+flags coding=utf8 ;
+
 param 
   Gen = Masc | Fem ;
   Num = Sg | Pl ;
diff --git a/src/GF/Devel/GrammarToGFCC.hs b/src/GF/Devel/GrammarToGFCC.hs
index d939f06ab..4fe2e6e0d 100644
--- a/src/GF/Devel/GrammarToGFCC.hs
+++ b/src/GF/Devel/GrammarToGFCC.hs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ prGrammar2gfcc opts cnc gr = (abs, D.printGFCC gc) where
 
 mkCanon2gfcc :: Options -> String -> SourceGrammar -> (String,D.GFCC)
 mkCanon2gfcc opts cnc gr = 
-  (prIdent abs, (canon2gfcc opts . reorder abs . utf8Conv . canon2canon abs) gr)
+  (prIdent abs, (canon2gfcc opts . reorder abs . canon2canon abs) gr)
   where
     abs = err error id $ M.abstractOfConcrete gr (identC cnc)
 
@@ -69,12 +69,14 @@ canon2gfcc opts cgr@(M.MGrammar ((a,M.ModMod abm):cms)) =
       js = tree2list (M.jments mo)
       flags   = Map.fromList [(C.CId f,x) | Opt (f,[x]) <- M.flags mo]
       opers   = Map.fromAscList [] -- opers will be created as optimization
+      utf     = if elem (Opt ("coding",["utf8"])) (M.flags mo) 
+                  then D.convertStringsInTerm decodeUTF8 else id
       lins    = Map.fromAscList 
-        [(i2i f, mkTerm tr) | (f,CncFun _ (Yes tr) _) <- js]
+        [(i2i f, utf (mkTerm tr))  | (f,CncFun _ (Yes tr) _) <- js]
       lincats = Map.fromAscList 
         [(i2i c, mkCType ty) | (c,CncCat (Yes ty) _ _) <- js]
       lindefs = Map.fromAscList 
-        [(i2i c, mkTerm tr) | (c,CncCat _ (Yes tr) _) <- js]
+        [(i2i c, mkTerm tr)  | (c,CncCat _ (Yes tr) _) <- js]
       printnames = Map.union 
         (Map.fromAscList [(i2i f, mkTerm tr) | (f,CncFun _ _ (Yes tr)) <- js])
         (Map.fromAscList [(i2i f, mkTerm tr) | (f,CncCat _ _ (Yes tr)) <- js])
@@ -95,7 +97,11 @@ mkExp t = case t of
   mkAt c = case c of 
     Q _ c  -> C.AC $ i2i c
     QC _ c -> C.AC $ i2i c
+    Vr x   -> C.AV $ i2i x
     EInt i -> C.AI i
+    EFloat f -> C.AF f
+    K s    -> C.AS s
+    Meta (MetaSymb i) -> C.AM $ toInteger i
     _ -> C.AM 0
   mkPatt p = uncurry CM.tree $ case p of
     A.PP _ c ps -> (C.AC (i2i c), map mkPatt ps)
@@ -182,20 +188,6 @@ repartition abs cg = [M.partOfGrammar cg (lang,mo) |
   let mo = errVal 
        (error ("no module found for " ++ A.prt lang)) $ M.lookupModule cg lang
   ]
-
--- convert to UTF8 if not yet converted
-utf8Conv :: SourceGrammar -> SourceGrammar
-utf8Conv = M.MGrammar . map toUTF8 . M.modules where
-  toUTF8 mo = case mo of
-    (i, M.ModMod m) 
-      ----- | hasFlagCanon (flagCanon "coding" "utf8") mo -> mo
-      | otherwise -> (i, M.ModMod $
-          m{ M.jments = M.jments m -----
------            mapTree (onSnd (mapInfoTerms (onTokens encodeUTF8))) (M.jments m),
-	   -----  M.flags = setFlag "coding" "utf8" (M.flags m) 
-           }
-          )
-    _ -> mo
  
 
 -- translate tables and records to arrays, parameters and labels to indices
diff --git a/src/GF/GFCC/DataGFCC.hs b/src/GF/GFCC/DataGFCC.hs
index e2e5a4efe..3d6cca3cc 100644
--- a/src/GF/GFCC/DataGFCC.hs
+++ b/src/GF/GFCC/DataGFCC.hs
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ module GF.GFCC.DataGFCC where
 import GF.GFCC.AbsGFCC
 import GF.GFCC.PrintGFCC
 import GF.Infra.CompactPrint
+import GF.Text.UTF8
+
 import Data.Map
 import Data.List
 
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ mkGFCC (Grm a cs ab@(Abs afls fs cts) ccs) = GFCC {
 -- convert internal GFCC and pretty-print it
 
 printGFCC :: GFCC -> String
-printGFCC gfcc = compactPrintGFCC $ printTree $ Grm
+printGFCC gfcc0 = compactPrintGFCC $ printTree $ Grm
   (absname gfcc) 
   (cncnames gfcc)
   (Abs
@@ -88,9 +90,36 @@ printGFCC gfcc = compactPrintGFCC $ printTree $ Grm
      [Lin f v | (f,v) <- assocs (lincats cnc)]
      [Lin f v | (f,v) <- assocs (lindefs cnc)]
      [Lin f v | (f,v) <- assocs (printnames cnc)]
+   gfcc = utf8GFCC gfcc0
 
 -- default map and filter are for Map here
 lmap = Prelude.map
 lfilter = Prelude.filter
+mmap = Data.Map.map
 
+-- encode idenfifiers and strings in UTF8
+
+utf8GFCC :: GFCC -> GFCC
+utf8GFCC gfcc = gfcc {
+  concretes = mmap u8concr (concretes gfcc)
+  }
+ where 
+   u8concr cnc = cnc {
+     lins = mmap u8term (lins cnc),
+     opers = mmap u8term (opers cnc)
+     }
+   u8term = convertStringsInTerm encodeUTF8
+
+---- TODO: convert identifiers and flags
+
+convertStringsInTerm conv t = case t of
+  K (KS s) -> K (KS (conv s))
+  W s r    -> W (conv s) (convs r)
+  R ts     -> R $ lmap convs ts
+  S ts     -> S $ lmap convs ts
+  FV ts    -> FV $ lmap convs ts
+  P u v    -> P (convs u) (convs v)
+  _        -> t
+ where
+  convs = convertStringsInTerm conv
 
diff --git a/src/GF/GFCC/Macros.hs b/src/GF/GFCC/Macros.hs
index 2fe6770f1..a44250e98 100644
--- a/src/GF/GFCC/Macros.hs
+++ b/src/GF/GFCC/Macros.hs
@@ -24,6 +24,14 @@ lookType :: GFCC -> CId -> Type
 lookType gfcc f = 
   fst $ lookMap (error $ "lookType " ++ show f) f (funs (abstract gfcc))
 
+lookAbsFlag :: GFCC -> CId -> String
+lookAbsFlag gfcc f = 
+  lookMap (error $ "lookAbsFlag " ++ show f) f (aflags (abstract gfcc))
+
+lookFlag :: GFCC -> CId -> CId -> String
+lookFlag gfcc lang fun = 
+  lookMap "?" fun $ flags $ lookMap (error "no lang") lang $ concretes gfcc
+
 functionsToCat :: GFCC -> CId -> [(CId,Type)]
 functionsToCat gfcc cat =
   [(f,ty) | f <- fs, Just (ty,_) <- [Data.Map.lookup f $ funs $ abstract gfcc]]