--- configure.in
+++ configure.in
@@ -767,7 +767,7 @@
 then
 	SVNVERSION="svnversion \$(srcdir)"
 else
-	SVNVERSION="echo exported"
+	SVNVERSION="echo Unversioned directory"
 fi
 
 case $MACHDEP in
--- Makefile.pre.in
+++ Makefile.pre.in
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@
 		$(SIGNAL_OBJS) \
 		$(MODOBJS) \
 		$(srcdir)/Modules/getbuildinfo.c
-	$(CC) -c $(PY_CFLAGS) -DSVNVERSION=\"`LC_ALL=C $(SVNVERSION)`\" -o $@ $(srcdir)/Modules/getbuildinfo.c
+	$(CC) -c $(PY_CFLAGS) -DSVNVERSION="\"`LC_ALL=C $(SVNVERSION)`\"" -o $@ $(srcdir)/Modules/getbuildinfo.c
 
 Modules/getpath.o: $(srcdir)/Modules/getpath.c Makefile
 	$(CC) -c $(PY_CFLAGS) -DPYTHONPATH='"$(PYTHONPATH)"' \
--- Modules/getbuildinfo.c
+++ Modules/getbuildinfo.c
@@ -48,5 +48,5 @@
 	static const char svnversion[] = SVNVERSION;
 	if (svnversion[0] != '$')
 		return svnversion; /* it was interpolated, or passed on command line */
-	return "exported";
+	return "Unversioned directory";
 }
--- Python/sysmodule.c
+++ Python/sysmodule.c
@@ -1161,7 +1161,7 @@
 
 
 	svnversion = _Py_svnversion();
-	if (strcmp(svnversion, "exported") != 0)
+	if (strcmp(svnversion, "Unversioned directory") != 0 && strcmp(svnversion, "exported") != 0)
 		svn_revision = svnversion;
 	else if (istag) {
 		len = strlen(_patchlevel_revision);