diff --git a/src/Buffer.cpp b/src/Buffer.cpp
index e7a5d41bd7..2a23119d7b 100644
--- a/src/Buffer.cpp
+++ b/src/Buffer.cpp
@@ -964,7 +964,8 @@ void Buffer::writeLaTeXSource(odocstream & os,
 	} // output_preamble
 	LYXERR(Debug::INFO) << "preamble finished, now the body." << endl;
 
-	if (!lyxrc.language_auto_begin) {
+	if (!lyxrc.language_auto_begin &&
+	    !params().language->babel().empty()) {
 		// FIXME UNICODE
 		os << from_utf8(subst(lyxrc.language_command_begin,
 		                           "$$lang",
@@ -993,7 +994,8 @@ void Buffer::writeLaTeXSource(odocstream & os,
 	os << endl;
 	texrow().newline();
 
-	if (!lyxrc.language_auto_end) {
+	if (!lyxrc.language_auto_end &&
+	    !params().language->babel().empty()) {
 		os << from_utf8(subst(lyxrc.language_command_end,
 		                           "$$lang",
 		                           params().language->babel()))
diff --git a/src/BufferParams.cpp b/src/BufferParams.cpp
index 052da14fd4..fc1b3ad9cf 100644
--- a/src/BufferParams.cpp
+++ b/src/BufferParams.cpp
@@ -846,7 +846,11 @@ bool BufferParams::writeLaTeX(odocstream & os, LaTeXFeatures & features,
 	bool const use_babel = features.useBabel();
 	if (use_babel) {
 		language_options << features.getLanguages();
-		language_options << language->babel();
+		if (!language->babel().empty()) {
+			if (!language_options.str().empty())
+				language_options << ',';
+			language_options << language->babel();
+		}
 		if (lyxrc.language_global_options)
 			clsoptions << language_options.str() << ',';
 	}
diff --git a/src/Cursor.cpp b/src/Cursor.cpp
index 2589298f17..e0c507ecb1 100644
--- a/src/Cursor.cpp
+++ b/src/Cursor.cpp
@@ -1176,14 +1176,21 @@ docstring Cursor::selectionAsString(bool label) const
 		if (startpit == endpit)
 			return pars[startpit].asString(buffer, startpos, endpos, label);
 
+		odocstringstream ods;
+		ods << "\n";
+		// only add blank line if we're not in an ERT inset
+		if (pars[startpit].ownerCode() != Inset::ERT_CODE)
+			ods << "\n";
+		docstring const parbreak = ods.str();
+
 		// First paragraph in selection
 		docstring result = pars[startpit].
-			asString(buffer, startpos, pars[startpit].size(), label) + "\n\n";
+			asString(buffer, startpos, pars[startpit].size(), label) + parbreak;
 
 		// The paragraphs in between (if any)
 		for (pit_type pit = startpit + 1; pit != endpit; ++pit) {
 			Paragraph const & par = pars[pit];
-			result += par.asString(buffer, 0, par.size(), label) + "\n\n";
+			result += par.asString(buffer, 0, par.size(), label) + parbreak;
 		}
 
 		// Last paragraph in selection
diff --git a/src/Font.cpp b/src/Font.cpp
index bf71d73c4c..ee6a8ca4e7 100644
--- a/src/Font.cpp
+++ b/src/Font.cpp
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ int Font::latexWriteStartChanges(odocstream & os, Font const & base,
 				os << "\\L{";
 				count += 3;
 			}
-		} else {
+		} else if (!language()->babel().empty()) {
 			string const tmp =
 				subst(lyxrc.language_command_local,
 				      "$$lang", language()->babel());
diff --git a/src/LaTeXFeatures.cpp b/src/LaTeXFeatures.cpp
index 5902106485..a20dc68392 100644
--- a/src/LaTeXFeatures.cpp
+++ b/src/LaTeXFeatures.cpp
@@ -191,7 +191,8 @@ LaTeXFeatures::LaTeXFeatures(Buffer const & b, BufferParams const & p,
 bool LaTeXFeatures::useBabel() const
 {
 	return lyxrc.language_use_babel ||
-		bufferParams().language->lang() != lyxrc.default_language ||
+		(bufferParams().language->lang() != lyxrc.default_language &&
+		 !bufferParams().language->babel().empty()) ||
 		this->hasLanguages();
 }
 
@@ -322,7 +323,8 @@ void LaTeXFeatures::useFloat(string const & name)
 
 void LaTeXFeatures::useLanguage(Language const * lang)
 {
-	UsedLanguages_.insert(lang);
+	if (!lang->babel().empty())
+		UsedLanguages_.insert(lang);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/output_latex.cpp b/src/output_latex.cpp
index eeb4586c0e..d281feac0a 100644
--- a/src/output_latex.cpp
+++ b/src/output_latex.cpp
@@ -105,7 +105,8 @@ TeXEnvironment(Buffer const & buf,
 	if (par_language->babel() != prev_par_language->babel()) {
 
 		if (!lyxrc.language_command_end.empty() &&
-		    prev_par_language->babel() != doc_language->babel()) {
+		    prev_par_language->babel() != doc_language->babel() &&
+		    !prev_par_language->babel().empty()) {
 			os << from_ascii(subst(
 				lyxrc.language_command_end,
 				"$$lang",
@@ -115,7 +116,8 @@ TeXEnvironment(Buffer const & buf,
 		}
 
 		if (lyxrc.language_command_end.empty() ||
-		    par_language->babel() != doc_language->babel()) {
+		    par_language->babel() != doc_language->babel() &&
+		    !par_language->babel().empty()) {
 			os << from_ascii(subst(
 				lyxrc.language_command_begin,
 				"$$lang",
@@ -271,7 +273,8 @@ TeXOnePar(Buffer const & buf,
 		     || boost::prior(pit)->getDepth() < pit->getDepth())))
 	{
 		if (!lyxrc.language_command_end.empty() &&
-		    prev_par_language->babel() != doc_language->babel())
+		    prev_par_language->babel() != doc_language->babel() &&
+		    !prev_par_language->babel().empty())
 		{
 			os << from_ascii(subst(lyxrc.language_command_end,
 				"$$lang",
@@ -281,7 +284,8 @@ TeXOnePar(Buffer const & buf,
 		}
 
 		if (lyxrc.language_command_end.empty() ||
-		    par_language->babel() != doc_language->babel())
+		    par_language->babel() != doc_language->babel() &&
+		    !par_language->babel().empty())
 		{
 			os << from_ascii(subst(
 				lyxrc.language_command_begin,
@@ -456,12 +460,15 @@ TeXOnePar(Buffer const & buf,
 			os << '\n';
 			texrow.newline();
 		}
-		if (lyxrc.language_command_end.empty())
-			os << from_ascii(subst(
-				lyxrc.language_command_begin,
-				"$$lang",
-				doc_language->babel()));
-		else
+		if (lyxrc.language_command_end.empty()) {
+			if (!doc_language->babel().empty()) {
+				os << from_ascii(subst(
+					lyxrc.language_command_begin,
+					"$$lang",
+					doc_language->babel()));
+				pending_newline = true;
+			}
+		} else if (!par_language->babel().empty())
 			os << from_ascii(subst(
 				lyxrc.language_command_end,
 				"$$lang",