diff -r ccffce2dde49 Lib/test/test_tcl.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_tcl.py	Wed May 29 23:38:00 2013 +0300
+++ b/Lib/test/test_tcl.py	Thu May 30 16:56:35 2013 +0300
@@ -175,6 +175,60 @@
                 self.assertEqual(passValue(f), f)
         self.assertEqual(passValue((1, '2', (3.4,))), (1, '2', (3.4,)))
 
+    def test_splitlist(self):
+        splitlist = self.interp.tk.splitlist
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, splitlist)
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, splitlist, 'a', 'b')
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, splitlist, 2)
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist('2'), ('2',))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(''), ())
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist('{}'), ('',))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist('""'), ('',))
+        self.assertRaises(TclError, splitlist, '{')
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist('a\n b\t\r c\n '), ('a', 'b', 'c'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(b'a\n b\t\r c\n '), ('a', 'b', 'c'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist('a \u20ac'), ('a', '\u20ac'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(b'a \xe2\x82\xac'), ('a', '\u20ac'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist('a {b c}'), ('a', 'b c'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(r'a b\ c'), ('a', 'b c'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(('a', 'b c')), ('a', 'b c'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist('a 2'), ('a', '2'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(('a', 2)), ('a', 2))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist('a 3.4'), ('a', '3.4'))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(('a', 3.4)), ('a', 3.4))
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(()), ())
+        call = self.interp.tk.call
+        self.assertEqual(splitlist(call('list', 1, '2', (3.4,))),
+                         (1, '2', (3.4,)))
+
+    def test_split(self):
+        split = self.interp.tk.split
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, split)
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, split, 'a', 'b')
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, split, 2)
+        self.assertEqual(split('2'), '2')
+        self.assertEqual(split(''), '')
+        self.assertEqual(split('{}'), '')
+        self.assertEqual(split('""'), '')
+        self.assertEqual(split('{'), '{')
+        self.assertEqual(split('a\n b\t\r c\n '), ('a', 'b', 'c'))
+        self.assertEqual(split(b'a\n b\t\r c\n '), ('a', 'b', 'c'))
+        self.assertEqual(split('a \u20ac'), ('a', '\u20ac'))
+        self.assertEqual(split(b'a \xe2\x82\xac'), ('a', '\u20ac'))
+        self.assertEqual(split('a {b c}'), ('a', ('b', 'c')))
+        self.assertEqual(split(r'a b\ c'), ('a', ('b', 'c')))
+        self.assertEqual(split(('a', b'b c')), ('a', ('b', 'c')))
+        self.assertEqual(split(('a', 'b c')), ('a', ('b', 'c')))
+        self.assertEqual(split('a 2'), ('a', '2'))
+        self.assertEqual(split(('a', 2)), ('a', 2))
+        self.assertEqual(split('a 3.4'), ('a', '3.4'))
+        self.assertEqual(split(('a', 3.4)), ('a', 3.4))
+        self.assertEqual(split(('a', (2, 3.4))), ('a', (2, 3.4)))
+        self.assertEqual(split(()), ())
+        call = self.interp.tk.call
+        self.assertEqual(split(call('list', 1, '2', (3.4,))),
+                         (1, '2', (3.4,)))
+
 
 def test_main():
     support.run_unittest(TclTest, TkinterTest)
diff -r ccffce2dde49 Modules/_tkinter.c
--- a/Modules/_tkinter.c	Wed May 29 23:38:00 2013 +0300
+++ b/Modules/_tkinter.c	Thu May 30 16:56:35 2013 +0300
@@ -423,6 +423,21 @@
             return result;
         /* Fall through, returning arg. */
     }
+    else if (PyUnicode_Check(arg)) {
+        int argc;
+        char **argv;
+        char *list = PyUnicode_AsUTF8(arg);
+
+        if (list == NULL ||
+            Tcl_SplitList((Tcl_Interp *)NULL, list, &argc, &argv) != TCL_OK) {
+            Py_INCREF(arg);
+            return arg;
+        }
+        Tcl_Free(FREECAST argv);
+        if (argc > 1)
+            return Split(list);
+        /* Fall through, returning arg. */
+    }
     else if (PyBytes_Check(arg)) {
         int argc;
         char **argv;