It is fully possible to declare a global string array as Raj has done in the data or xdata memory spaces. The compiler / linker process goes ahead and places the initializer data into the code space for you and then there is a loop of code in the standard C startup code that copies initialized variables off to the appropriate data area, variable by variable before your main() is called.

On most commercial projects that I do I have a policy to NOT use any initialized RAM variables and I then remove the code that does the block moves from the C-Startup code. My reasoning is that if I want to have constant data I want it to be in FLASH as I've managed it and not have that hidden by the compiler where code reviews and audits can often miss subtle details of the standard implementation. I also cannot see the value of using up twice the storage for these variables....the CODE space initializer and the RAM or XRAM based run time copy. And in the end if I need a copy of the constant in the RAM variable I can copy it there in code making it directly obvious as to what is going on,

Michael Karas