diff --git a/bash_completion b/bash_completion
index b6c6c608..e6072eb9 100644
--- a/bash_completion
+++ b/bash_completion
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #   bash_completion - some programmable completion functions for bash 2.05b
 #
-#   $Id: bash_completion,v 1.569 2003/05/26 06:50:45 ianmacd Exp $
+#   $Id: bash_completion,v 1.570 2003/05/26 18:17:05 ianmacd Exp $
 #
 #   Copyright (C) Ian Macdonald <ian@caliban.org>
 #
@@ -24,8 +24,19 @@
 
 # Alter the following to reflect the location of this file
 #
-declare -r BASH_COMPLETION=${BASH_COMPLETION:-/etc/bash_completion} 2>/dev/null
-declare -r BASH_COMPLETION_DIR=${BASH_COMPLETION_DIR:=/etc/bash_completion.d} 2>/dev/null
+if [ -n "$FUNCNAME" ]; then
+	# we're being sourced from within a function, so we can't use
+	# 'declare', as this will create local variables within a function
+	BASH_COMPLETION=${BASH_COMPLETION:-/etc/bash_completion} 2>/dev/null
+	BASH_COMPLETION_DIR=${BASH_COMPLETION_DIR:=/etc/bash_completion.d} \
+	  2>/dev/null
+else
+	declare -r BASH_COMPLETION=${BASH_COMPLETION:-/etc/bash_completion} \
+	  2>/dev/null
+	declare -r \
+	  BASH_COMPLETION_DIR=${BASH_COMPLETION_DIR:=/etc/bash_completion.d} \
+	  2>/dev/null
+fi
 
 # Set a couple of useful vars
 #