diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 6e39af1d8bc..5e92ca58fb6 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -17,11 +17,11 @@ NAME = Man-Eating Seals of Antiquity
 MAKEFLAGS += -rR --no-print-directory
 
 # Avoid funny character set dependencies
-LC_ALL=
+unexport LC_ALL
 LC_CTYPE=C
 LC_COLLATE=C
 LC_NUMERIC=C
-export LC_ALL LC_CTYPE LC_COLLATE LC_NUMERIC
+export LC_CTYPE LC_COLLATE LC_NUMERIC
 
 # We are using a recursive build, so we need to do a little thinking
 # to get the ordering right.