diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 5fefd14..e02d016 100755
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -5314,18 +5314,21 @@ if test -n "$with_system_icu" -o -n "$with_system_libs" && \
    if test -z "$SYSTEM_GENCMN"; then
       AC_MSG_ERROR([\"gencmn\" not found in \$PATH, install the icu development tool \"gencmn"\])
    fi
+
+   AC_PATH_PROG( ICUCONFIG, icu-config)
    AC_MSG_CHECKING([ICU version])
-      AC_TRY_RUN([
-#include <unicode/uversion.h>
+   ICU_VERSION=`$ICUCONFIG --version`
+   ICU_MAJOR=`$ICUCONFIG --version | cut -d"." -f1`
+   ICU_MINOR=`$ICUCONFIG --version | cut -d"." -f2`
+   ICU_MICRO=`$ICUCONFIG --version | cut -d"." -f3`
 
-int main(int argc, char **argv) {
-      if(U_ICU_VERSION_MAJOR_NUM < 4)
-        return 1;
-      else
-        return 0;
-}
-      ], [AC_MSG_RESULT(OK)], [AC_MSG_ERROR([not suitable, only >= 4.0 supported currently])])
-      AC_LANG_POP([C++])
+   if test "$ICU_MAJOR" -ge "4"; then
+      AC_MSG_RESULT([OK])
+   else
+      AC_MSG_ERROR([not suitable, only >= 4.0 supported currently])
+   fi
+
+    AC_LANG_POP([C++])
 else
     AC_MSG_RESULT([internal])
     SYSTEM_ICU=NO
@@ -5335,6 +5338,9 @@ AC_SUBST(SYSTEM_ICU)
 AC_SUBST(SYSTEM_GENBRK)
 AC_SUBST(SYSTEM_GENCCODE)
 AC_SUBST(SYSTEM_GENCMN)
+AC_SUBST(ICU_MAJOR)
+AC_SUBST(ICU_MINOR)
+AC_SUBST(ICU_MICRO)
 
 dnl ===================================================================
 dnl Graphite
diff --git a/set_soenv.in b/set_soenv.in
index 0533441..f48d5e3 100755
--- a/set_soenv.in
+++ b/set_soenv.in
@@ -1906,6 +1906,9 @@ if ($SYSTEM_PYTHON eq "NO") {
 ToFile( "HOME",              "@HOME@",             "e" );
 }
 ToFile( "SYSTEM_ICU",        "@SYSTEM_ICU@",       "e" );
+ToFile( "ICU_MAJOR",         "@ICU_MAJOR@",        "e" );
+ToFile( "ICU_MINOR",         "@ICU_MINOR@",        "e" );
+ToFile( "ICU_MICRO",         "@ICU_MICRO@",        "e" );
 ToFile( "SYSTEM_GENBRK",     "@SYSTEM_GENBRK@",    "e" );
 ToFile( "SYSTEM_GENCCODE",   "@SYSTEM_GENCCODE@",  "e" );
 ToFile( "SYSTEM_GENCMN",     "@SYSTEM_GENCMN@",    "e" );
diff --git a/icu/icuversion.mk b/icu/icuversion.mk
index eedf627..a170642 100755
--- a/icu/icuversion.mk
+++ b/icu/icuversion.mk
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@
 #
 #*************************************************************************
 # major 
-ICU_MAJOR=4
+ICU_MAJOR*=4
 # minor 
-ICU_MINOR=0
+ICU_MINOR*=0
 # micro 
-ICU_MICRO=1
+ICU_MICRO*=1
 
diff --git a/i18npool/source/breakiterator/makefile.mk b/i18npool/source/breakiterator/makefile.mk
index f308812..fc6561c 100644
--- a/i18npool/source/breakiterator/makefile.mk
+++ b/i18npool/source/breakiterator/makefile.mk
@@ -79,7 +79,17 @@ GENBRK:=$(AUGMENT_LIBRARY_PATH) $(SOLARBINDIR)$/genbrk
 GENCCODE:=$(AUGMENT_LIBRARY_PATH) $(SOLARBINDIR)$/genccode
 .ENDIF
 
-$(MISC)$/%.brk : data/%.txt
+.INCLUDE .IGNORE :  icuversion.mk
+
+$(MISC)$/%.txt : data/%.txt
+# fdo#31271 ")" reclassified in more recent ICU/Unicode Standards
+.IF "$(ICU_MAJOR)" >= "5" || ("$(ICU_MAJOR)" == "4" && "$(ICU_MINOR)" >= "4")
+    $(SED) "s#\[:LineBreak =  Close_Punctuation:\]#\[\[:LineBreak =  Close_Punctuation:\] \[:LineBreak = Close_Parenthesis:\]\]#" $< > $@
+.ELSE
+    $(COPY) $< $@
+.ENDIF
+
+$(MISC)$/%.brk : $(MISC)/%.txt
     $(WRAPCMD) $(GENBRK) -r $< -o $(MISC)$/$*.brk
 
 $(MISC)$/%_brk.c : $(MISC)$/%.brk