--- loncom/interface/loncommon.pm	2007/09/11 20:36:30	1.582
+++ loncom/interface/loncommon.pm	2007/09/11 20:40:23	1.583
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network with CAPA
 # a pile of common routines
 #
-# $Id: loncommon.pm,v 1.582 2007/09/11 20:36:30 albertel Exp $
+# $Id: loncommon.pm,v 1.583 2007/09/11 20:40:23 albertel Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -2531,9 +2531,11 @@ sub preferred_languages {
 	@languages=(@languages,
 		    split(/\s*(\,|\;|\:)\s*/,$env{'environment.languages'}));
     }
-    my $browser=(split(/\;/,$ENV{'HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE'}))[0];
+    my $browser=$ENV{'HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE'};
     if ($browser) {
-	@languages=(@languages,split(/\s*(\,|\;|\:)\s*/,$browser));
+	my @browser = 
+	    map { (split(/\s*;\s*/,$_))[0] } (split(/\s*,\s*/,$browser));
+	push(@languages,@browser);
     }
     if (&Apache::lonnet::domain($env{'user.domain'},'lang_def')) {
 	@languages=(@languages,
@@ -2555,11 +2557,14 @@ sub preferred_languages {
     my @genlanguages;
     foreach my $lang (@languages) {
 	unless ($lang=~/\w/) { next; }
-	push (@genlanguages,$lang);
+	push(@genlanguages,$lang);
 	if ($lang=~/(\-|\_)/) {
 	    push(@genlanguages,(split(/(\-|\_)/,$lang))[0]);
 	}
     }
+    #uniqueify the languages list
+    my %count;
+    @genlanguages = map { $count{$_}++ == 0 ? $_ : () } @genlanguages;
     return @genlanguages;
 }