diff --git a/src/mathed/InsetMathFont.cpp b/src/mathed/InsetMathFont.cpp
index 5909c14c9b..35f58c00f3 100644
--- a/src/mathed/InsetMathFont.cpp
+++ b/src/mathed/InsetMathFont.cpp
@@ -127,25 +127,22 @@ void InsetMathFont::mathmlize(MathStream & os) const
 	else if (tag == "mathcal")
 		variant == "script";
 	else if (tag == "mathit" || tag == "textsl"
-	         || tag == "emph")
+	         || tag == "emph" || tag == "textit")
 		variant = "italic";
-	else if (tag == "mathsf" || tag == "textit"
-	         || tag == "textsf")
+	else if (tag == "mathsf" || tag == "textsf")
 		variant = "sans-serif";
 	else if (tag == "mathtt" || tag == "texttt")
 		variant = "monospace";
 	// no support at present for textipa, textsc, noun
 	
-	// FIXME We need some kind of "mode tracker", so we can
-	// just output verbatim text in some cases.
 	docstring const beg = (tag.size() < 4) ? from_ascii("") : tag.substr(0, 4);
 	bool const textmode = (beg == "text");
 	if (!variant.empty()) {
-		os << "<mstyle mathvariant='" << from_utf8(variant) << "'>";
-		SetMode sm(os, textmode);
+		docstring const attrs = from_ascii("mathvariant='" + variant + "'");
+		SetMode sm(os, textmode, attrs);
+		os << cell(0);
+	} else
 		os << cell(0);
-		os << "</mstyle>";
-	}
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/mathed/MathExtern.cpp b/src/mathed/MathExtern.cpp
index 2e43c11719..afeba3ebe2 100644
--- a/src/mathed/MathExtern.cpp
+++ b/src/mathed/MathExtern.cpp
@@ -1423,10 +1423,12 @@ void mathmlize(MathData const & dat, MathStream & os)
 	} else if (ar.size() == 1)
 		os << ar.front();
 	else {
-		os << (os.inText() ? MTag("mtext") : MTag("mrow"));
+		if (!os.inText())
+			os << MTag("mrow");
 		for (MathData::const_iterator it = ar.begin(); it != ar.end(); ++it)
 			(*it)->mathmlize(os);
-		os << (os.inText() ? ETag("mtext") : ETag("mrow"));
+		if (!os.inText())
+			os << ETag("mrow");
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/mathed/MathStream.cpp b/src/mathed/MathStream.cpp
index a638052a87..81a89dc6d3 100644
--- a/src/mathed/MathStream.cpp
+++ b/src/mathed/MathStream.cpp
@@ -337,6 +337,39 @@ MathStream & operator<<(MathStream & ms, docstring const & s)
 }
 
 
+SetMode::SetMode(MathStream & os, bool text, docstring attrs)
+		: os_(os)
+{
+	was_text_ = os.inText();
+	if (was_text_)
+		os << "</mtext>";
+	if (text) {
+		os.setTextMode();
+		os << "<mtext";
+		if (!attrs.empty())
+			os << " " << attrs;
+		os << ">";
+	} else {
+		if (!attrs.empty())
+			os << "<mstyle " << attrs << ">";
+		os.setMathMode();
+	}
+}
+
+
+SetMode::~SetMode()
+{
+	if (os_.inText())
+		os_ << "</mtext>";
+	if (was_text_) {
+		os_.setTextMode();
+		os_ << "<mtext>";
+	} else {
+		os_.setMathMode();
+	}
+}
+
+
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 
diff --git a/src/mathed/MathStream.h b/src/mathed/MathStream.h
index 8dc9c4628d..df97ce303a 100644
--- a/src/mathed/MathStream.h
+++ b/src/mathed/MathStream.h
@@ -306,23 +306,11 @@ MathStream & operator<<(MathStream &, ETag const &);
 class SetMode {
 public:
 	///
-	explicit SetMode(MathStream & os, bool text)
-		: os_(os)
-	{
-		was_text_ = os.inText();
-		if (text)
-			os.setTextMode();
-		else
-			os.setMathMode();
-	}
+	explicit SetMode(MathStream & os, bool text, docstring attrs);
+	// not clear yet precisely what we need...
+	// explicit SetMode(MathStream & os, bool text);
 	///
-	~SetMode()
-	{
-		if (was_text_)
-			os_.setTextMode();
-		else
-			os_.setMathMode();
-	}
+	~SetMode();
 private:
 	///
 	MathStream & os_;